The Pieces of the Past
by FireTurnsToAsh
Summary: With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?
1. Chapter One

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter One**

* * *

"I have spent the past one hundred and fifty years living as a vampire, protecting my son and his descendants by any means necessary while shadowing my brothers, following them as they make stupid and rash decisions, getting into trouble so easily.

I wasn't all that surprised to see my mother released from her prison world but what surprised me the most was that she didn't tell my younger brothers of my existence. Perhaps she forgot about her only daughter? She did have those _heretics_ to call her family. Did you get all of that?"

The young woman watched as the human she had compelled sat in her large and empty home, typing furiously on an old typewriter. It was only the two of them, for the past couple of months it had only been them; a hunter and her prey.

"I got it, continue." He replied. For some reason unknown to him, he was content being with this superhuman who made murder look like sport. They had met at the same time every week; Thursday's at ten.

She nodded once and got onto her feet. As she continued her memoirs, she started to pace around the room. The sound of her heels on hard wood echoed the room.

"When I learned of my mother's return to Mystic Falls, I hoped to reunite our family as I learned from a couple of old friends that family is strength and yes I have my descendants but nothing calls to me more than the possibility of meeting my siblings. That's why I acquired this house in the place of my birth. This is the right time to emerge from my shadow status and make contact."

The young man took the page from the typewriter and watched the vampire pour herself a glass of blood red wine. "Is that it for today?"

She smelt the rich liquid and took a sip. "Yes, I will see you for our session next week. I'll let you show yourself out."

The vampire turned her back to him as he got out of his seat and stepped towards one of the unshielded windows. He couldn't help but notice the way she observed the way the world moved around her as she kept herself locked away in the darkness. He felt sympathy for her, he knew that it was silly of him to but he did. He couldn't help but call out a goodbye as he left but she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge the noise. She had been alone for so long that she was completely focused on one goal; making contact.

* * *

It had almost been a year since Lily died, Damon was still indifferent about their mother but his brother could tell that with every day that brought them closer to that date, Damon would start to slip from the unreachable heights he had put himself on. He still refused to open up and talk about his feelings towards the matter but unlike Damon, Stefan wanted to know more about their mother, she was the woman that had brought him life after all.

Stefan turned to the only person he could trust with the burden of finding Lily's diary. Since his break up with Caroline, he had trusted Valarie with everything; this task was just another thing on a seemingly infinite list.

"If you want, you can look through her stuff." She offered but he declined.

"She was more like your mother than mine, it seems disrespectful."

Valarie nodded and scratched her head awkwardly as she tried to get the words she wanted to say out of her mouth. "How are you holding up after your break up?"

He put his hands in his pockets and chewed the inside of his cheek briefly. "Better than Caroline. I'm actually fine, it isn't weird between the two of us which wasn't what I expected."

"I'm glad that you're good," Valarie went silent for a moment as she looked down at her feet, "I'll let you know if I find anything. Is there anything else that you need?"

Valarie wanted Stefan to stay, she couldn't help it but she still had feelings for him. She wanted him to feel the same way, one day.

"No, just the diary. I have to meet Damon at the Grill; I'm his new drinking buddy so I'll see you soon, hopefully with some good news."

She forced a smile onto her face and gripped onto the door handle as she watched Stefan return to his car. "See you soon."

* * *

Damon waited for Stefan impatiently at the bar; Stefan was always late. He was already on his fourth bourbon when Stefan made an appearance. Damon's arms were outstretched as his brother approached him. Whether Stefan liked it or not, they were going to be drinking buddies again.

"Nice of you to show up, brother." He took a swig from the glass. "I was just telling,"

"Luce…" The barmaid reminded.

"Luce, that you were probably going to stand me up."

Stefan glanced at the familiar looking barmaid and occupied the stool beside the slightly drunk Damon. "And why would I do that?"

"Well, I know for a fact that you were visiting that red headed buzzkill before you arrived and I just thought that you would've fell back into old habits." Damon gave him a quick smirk as he finished the contents of his glass.

Stefan rolled his eyes and leaned on the bar. "I just broke up with Caroline, I'm not desperate unlike you." He knew this was a lie but unlike his brother, Stefan had morals. When he looked away from his brother, he noticed the dark-haired barmaid watching them with a smile. "Do I know you? Your face looks so familiar."

"You don't know me, I guess you could say I'm new to town." She slid a glass across the table and took her rag to a spill on the wood. "You look like a Jack Daniel's kind of guy."

"And what do you like to drink, Luce?" Damon asked, waggling his eyebrows at her in a teasing fashion.

"I'm more of a red wine kind of girl."

"I like wine, but then again I like anything alcoholic."

"I'm sure you do." She laughed as she sauntered to the other end of the bar, picking up a few empty glasses along the way.

* * *

"So why did you summon me here?" Stefan turned back to his brother and raised a brow.

"Can't I have a drink with my baby bro?"

"What's it about this time? Enzo? Elena?" he pressed his bottom lip to his glass and watched his brother. "Lily?"

"It's an innocent drink, that's all." He insisted.

"I'll just wait until you get a little drunker and come clean. By the looks of it, that won't take too long."

"Ha," Damon scoffed as he shook his empty glass at Luce who refilled it quickly, "I'm not drunk."

"Okay then," Stefan waited until Luce was at the other end of the bar before asking, "What's the story with the barmaid? I swear I've saw her before."

Damon shrugged. "There's no story but it's Mystic Falls, there's no prize for seeing someone you recognise."

* * *

Stefan ignored his brother's quips and searched his brain for a memory of that woman named Luce until he found it. He first encountered her in the 1930's in Chicago. Back then she was known all over the city as simply Luce and nobody knew her surname; no one could get close enough to find out. At parties, she kept to the side lines, in the darkness she was in her element and in the day time, she clung to the shadows for dear hope.

As he made his revelation, he looked up from the bar to catch one last glimpse of the mysterious woman but she was gone, a new barmaid in her place with the name badge reading 'Luce'. Stefan stood up and patted his brother on the shoulder, "I'll see you at home, if you make it home."

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I've got something to do, try not to drink the bar dry."

Before Damon could say another word, Stefan was gone. He made a noise of displeasure and continued drinking, he wasn't going to let Stefan ruin his night.

* * *

Luce stepped into her empty palace with a grin on her face, she almost danced through the hallway as she peeled the repulsing Grill uniform from her small frame. Finding her brothers again gave her a high; she had lost track of them and her progenies in the 1970's because of her own problems but now she was ready to break her silent and observing nature towards them. Talking with Damon for that small while in the bar was like all her Christmas's coming at once.

She ran a bath for herself and sunk into the suds. Her hand found the nape of her neck as she came down from her mental heights. Her leg emerged from the water as she thought back to her long life, following her brothers to the ends of the earth while watching her heirs grow all the while, managing to find love for herself. She had a stressful and tormenting life for a long time and it was something that she regretted deeply.

Luce had spent the last months of her human life and her early vampire years as a slave to Klaus' affections. He had trapped her into believing that he cared about her and her best interests as she followed him for thirty years behind his lead. Another downfall was falling for someone that she shouldn't have; Elijah. It was hard to develop their relationship and their true love behind the tyrant.

* * *

Before she realised, the water had become cold during her reflection. She grabbed a towel and secured it around her breast bone and left her bathroom. There was something off, there was somebody in her home. A thief that was going to chance their luck? It couldn't have been, a human couldn't make the tiny hairs on her neck stand at attention. There was only one man who could make her feel like that, one man who could ever make the air around her have a sense of thrill that swayed through it carelessly.

She could feel her excitement build up inside her as she pattered through the hallways, looking around every corner. The familiar hands that used to caress her pulled her into an embrace. She clung onto him and gazed up at the eyes she loved so much. "Elijah." She whispered with such emotion.

"My darling Lucille, I didn't think that I would find you here. I didn't think I'd find you at all." He kissed her black-haired head that smelt of lavender and fell in love with her all over again.

"What are you doing here? You said that it wasn't safe for us to be together anymore." A wave of feelings hit her hard; confusion, angst, thankfulness and relief. If Elijah was here, it meant that she was in the clear.

"I've made peace with my brother." He let her out of his embrace but held onto her shoulders. "But you have to know that Klaus is still enraged with you. We have to leave this town before he finds you."

"But I can't go, I finally made contact with my brothers,"

"They're here, I know that. I encountered them before but Klaus is coming home, to Mystic Falls. We can't rub his face into this and be shocked when there's a severe reaction."

Luce hushed him, her finger pressed to his lip. "I refuse to leave. You must've forgot that I am a Mikaelson and whether he likes it or not, I'm family." When Elijah submitted to her words, she slowly removed her index finger from his mouth. "I have searched for Damon and Stefan alone for decades, Elijah. I must know them. I refuse to run anymore."

He stroked the top of her head with his open hand and let out a sigh as he looked into the blue orbs that melted him. "Why do you have to be right?"

"Wives are always right." She touched his face and pulled him into a kiss that she had waited for, for decades.

It seemed as if everything was starting to fall into place for once, but Luce was a fool if she believed that things would stay that way for long. Klaus was going to come to Mystic Falls and he would be damned if he didn't try to ruin her happiness.

* * *

 **A:N So, in this story, The Originals doesn't happen. Let me know if you want me to continue with this story and put an alert on it, I might change the rating to M for the next chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter Two

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

Lying in bed, next to her husband felt strange. She had been sleeping alone for decades and now that her bed was full, it made her realise how lonely her life had been up until this point. She couldn't sleep, all she could think about was her brothers and Elijah's warnings. If Klaus was coming home to Mystic Falls and he was still angry with her, then her brothers would possibly be in danger. She rolled away from Elijah's touch and squeezed her eyes shut, wishing for her thoughts to leave her mind so that she could get some sleep; her excitement had exhausted her.

She tensed up a little when she felt Elijah's hand graze her exposed back. Luce took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder at him and from the faint light of the moon, she could see that his forehead was creased with concern. He brought her closer to him, embracing her in the protection that he had always offered and whispered delicately in her ear, "Why are you still awake?"

"You know that my thoughts run wild at night."

He furrowed his brows and stroked her forearm as he planted a light kiss on her shoulder. "From what I remember, you were always a great sleeper."

"I guess I've changed in the thirty years we've been apart." She said a little coldly. "Being on the run for so long has taught me to be a light sleeper."

He nodded slightly, stung from her words. "Well, you don't need to worry about that; I won't let Klaus harm a hair on your head."

"What about my brothers? You know that Klaus would hurt them to get back at me for hurting him."

Elijah gave her a smile that he had hoped would settle her anxiety, but it didn't. "You have my word, I will not let Klaus hurt them. I would do anything for you, you know that."

Luce looked at her husband one last time before trying to go back to sleep with a slight frown before submitting to his words. "I know, Elijah. You're a noble man, your word is your honour."

* * *

Stefan searched through his belongings, searching for the picture that he had ignored for decades. He had spent all night thinking about it and the woman in the old photograph. What he knew about the mysterious Luce was that there were many rumours that followed her. Many believed she was involved in the Original family but nothing was really concrete. Another rumour that flowed through Stefan's circle of friends was that she had no humanity, that she had turned that off a century ago; some thought that she was a ripper like Stefan but something inside him screamed that this was the biggest lie about her.

When he found the picture, he stared at the woman who had the familiarity of an old friend but the appearance of a stranger and wondered who the hell she was. He had never spoken a word to her until last night but there had to be a connection between the two of them; why else would she appear in a photo with him and then show up in Mystic Falls? In the background, he spotted another familiar face; Elijah Mikaelson. His brows furrowed as he struggled to remember every detail from that night. He had memories up to midnight of that night in the late 50's, but he must've been compelled to forget everything else by Elijah.

* * *

Stefan's head began to ache as he tried hard to remember the events beyond his memory but it was no good. He searched through his phone for Elijah's number and wasted no time in calling him.

"Stefan, it's very surprising to hear from you."

"I need your help, well more like information from you."

"Information on what or whom?"

"What can you tell me about a woman named Luce?"

Elijah was silent for a moment but when he finally spoke, his tone seemed less pleasant and more irritated. "I don't see how I can help you as I haven't heard that name in years."

"All I need to know is who she is, I believe she's trying to make contact with Damon and I."

"If you think she's trying to make contact, don't you think it would be wise to stop trying to force information?"

"Is she someone that I'm going to have to worry about? She's not going to be dangerous, is she?"

"Luce isn't a malicious person, trust me. You have no need to worry. Now if you don't mind, I have things to do, Stefan. As always, it's been a pleasure."

* * *

As soon as Elijah hung up the phone, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at Luce as she watched him inattentively from the edge of her seat. She raised a brow at him and slowly got onto her feet. "Well, what did he say?"

"Lucille, if you want your brothers to work things out for themselves like you say you do, you need to stop leaving clues around for them to find. I don't want to be lying every day and keeping this massive secret. Especially when you want to be rekindled with your kin."

"Stefan and Damon need to find our mother's journal for themselves so that I can see if they actually have an interest in me." She stepped towards her cabinet of fine wines and took out a bottle as she chewed on her bottom lip. "I don't want to push them into knowing me, they have to discover our history for themselves."

"Who wouldn't be interested in you?" Elijah placed his hand on the back of an armchair and watched her pour herself a glass of wine. "You were able to capture my heart long before you realised it and you actually made Niklaus tolerable for thirty something years at the expense of your own happiness. Whether you realise it or not, you have a certain lure to you and it makes you very interesting."

Luce took a sip of the rich pinot grigio in her glass and closed her eyes as the alcohol gave her a slight buzz. "I'm allowed to have my doubts. My brothers have known for centuries that they had another sibling, I mean, how else would the Salvatore line stayed active?"

"Perhaps it was blissful ignorance. You know that they were caught up in loving Katherine Pierce."

Luce made a noise and took another gulp from the glance. "Yes, Katherine… The devil in a dress. I know that you loved her once, but that faded quickly. Their love for her spanned lifetimes." Luce took a step towards her husband and placed a hand on his chest. "At least you had the sense to get out of that."

Elijah kept his mouth shut, he couldn't risk Luce knowing about his brief and recent encounter with Katherine; it would ruin his rekindled marriage to a woman who whole heartedly returned his love. "Give them time, they'll make their discovery. Besides, it gives us time to catch up."

Luce kissed his cheek and gazed into his eyes. "I have plenty to tell you, tell me, have you ever been to Russia in the winter months? I have plenty to tell you about that fun little excursion?"

* * *

Damon woke up in his room with no recollection how he got there. He followed the lurking shadow to his brother who watched him with an unimpressed look on his face. "Good morning sunshine, or should I say good afternoon?"

Damon squinted at him and tried to block out the light with his arm. "Don't give me that tone, brother. It's been a rough year."

"So, last night when you said it had nothing to do with Lily, you lied?" Stefan put his hand on his chest. "I'm shocked, really I am."

"No, it has to do with many things, like the fact that my girlfriend is in a magically induced coma. I really have no remorse about Lily's demise."

"Well, Valarie found some of our mother's belongings, so if you want to come and take a look with me, feel free."

"I don't want anything of hers so, be my guest and have it all." Damon sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands as he tried to find the will to get up.

"Her journal is in here, don't you want to read it?" Stefan pulled the old, leather cased book from his back pocket and taunted Damon with it.

Damon raised a brow curiously and gave in to Stefan, rolling his eyes. "I guess a little light reading wouldn't hurt." He held his hand out until the book was secure in his grasp. "Maybe we'll finally know the truth, did our mommy really love us once upon a time."

"Do you want to be alone?" Stefan kept his eyes fixated on his brother as he opened the journal.

"Surprisingly, no. If I'm going to make that discovery, then I want my baby bro with me."

He smiled slightly and took the space beside Damon. "I hope you're not going soft on me."

"There's no chance in hell that I'm going soft." Damon shook his head a little and flicked through the pages. "Where has being soft ever got me?"

* * *

The Salvatore brothers read through their mother's diary tirelessly looking for the answers that Stefan was desperate to find. They read what seemed to be a love story between their parents and all about her first pregnancy. They expected their mother to be carrying Damon; the pages hadn't been marked with a date until they drew closer to the end of the chapter;

'September 20th 1837

Today is a day filled with happiness and despair. Giuseppe was happy with my pregnancy up until now; he never wanted to have a daughter, he only wants boys. I must have begged him for hours to reconsider but he is so headstrong that he wouldn't think of it. As I write this, our daughter is being delivered to a young French couple who cannot conceive. To my greatest despair, I will have to pass this couple every day until they move back to the north in the summer knowing that the child in their arms should be with me. They told Giuseppe that they wish to call her Lucille and that's all I am allowed to know. My heart is broken.'

* * *

Damon looked at Stefan, mouth gaped in shock, his brother had the same expression. All they could do was sit in silence as while their brains worked overtime, trying to comprehend their mother's passage. It explained a lot and nothing at the same time. It explained their mother's growing hatred towards their father and the continuity of the Salvatore line but neither of them had felt an absence in their lives. They needed to know more.

"That barmaid," Stefan finally said, his voice barely a whisper, "the vampire that no one knew anything about… Damon, check any picture of yourself that you have at any public event." Stefan got onto his feet as he tried to put together the puzzle in his mind.

"What, why?"

"If I'm right, then our sister is still alive," he turned to Damon and smiled at his awe-struck face, "we met her last night, Damon."

"You mean that barmaid… Luce?"

"Yes, she looked so familiar to me because I had saw her in New York during the 50's."

Damon tried to remember her but the memory of her face was lost in his hangover and it frustrated him. "I'll go get my pictures and then we're going to look for records at the library."

"Why her records? Why not find her while she's still here?"

Damon got up and walked into his wardrobe, frantically looking through boxes of pictures and newspaper clippings throughout the years. "Because I have to know everything and I have a sneaking suspicion that she isn't going anywhere any time soon."

* * *

Luce and Elijah strolled through Mystic Falls, hand-in-hand and in plain sight, she didn't want to have to stick to the shadows anymore; she wanted to be known to her brothers. Although, it was only a matter of time before Klaus would show up to ruin chance of a blissful existence.

"Do you remember when we would promenade through the streets of Stockholm, dancing and laughing from happiness while also trying to be incognito so that Klaus wouldn't catch wind of us?" Luce looked up at her husband and met his nod of acknowledgement. "It's nice not having to hide from anyone anymore."

"Stockholm was three weeks after we told Klaus of our marriage." Elijah interjected. "He was so furious, I've never saw someone so angry as him in that moment."

"I just hope that you're right, if he doesn't have mercy on me when he arrives… It'll be my day of reckoning."

"He wouldn't hurt you, he would risk losing me forever." He stopped walking and cupped her face in his hands. "I told you, I won't let him hurt you."

"He's a hybrid now, that terrifies me." She looked up at his hazel eyes and raised her brows slightly. "I've had nightmares of him attacking me every night since the word broke to me."

"You've got my word that you'll not be harmed." Elijah glanced around her and made a noise.

"What is it?"

"I believe your brothers may have worked out who you are."

Luce turned and watched them walk into the library, noticing their mother's journal in Damon's hands. "They're looking for my records." Her face lit up, her usually cold, blue eyes became a little warmer as she looked up at her love. "Finally, after all these years they know who I am."

* * *

 **A:N Hope you enjoyed this chapter, more is to come very soon. Thank you for the reviews!**


	3. Chapter Three

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Three**

* * *

Damon leaned on the receptionist's desk, trying to get her attention as she talked on the phone obnoxiously. He tapped his hand on the wooden desk over and over, gradually getting louder until she put the phone down and rolled her eyes towards him.

"Can I help you?" she asked as if she had a sour taste in her mouth.

"I need to see the birth records for 1837."

"What's the family name?"

"We don't know," Stefan said from behind Damon in a much calmer tone, "it's an ancestor we're looking for; all we know is that she was adopted by a French couple. Her first name is Lucille."

The woman typed the information into her computer and searched the database until she found what they were looking for. "The child you're looking for is Lucille Du Val, you'll find that under,"

"D, we get it." Damon interrupted abruptly as he turned towards the filing cabinets at the back of the building, marching on ahead of his brother.

"I've heard of that name… Du Val." Stefan mumbled to himself as he followed Damon.

"From where?" Damon opened the cabinet labelled 'D' and started searching through the records for his older sister's name.

"We have a painting at home that Zach had, signed 'L.E Du Val'. He was always so fond of it that after his death, I just kept it up."

Damon looked at him with a smirk as he pulled out her file, shaking his head. "Sneaky, smart but sneaky." He set the file onto a desk and flicked through the pages. "She's been there most of our lives and we didn't even know it; right under our noses."

"If she's been around us for so long, why didn't she say anything? Why watch us as if she was our guardian angel?"

"Because you had to figure it out for yourselves."

* * *

The brothers looked up and saw the woman whose face had been running through their minds since they made their discovery. She had been all they could think about and now, here she was. They didn't know if they should smile, interrogate her or apologise to her, instead they just stared at her until one of them was brave enough to speak to her.

"Lucille, how did you know we were here?" Damon finally asked.

"Please call me Luce. Lucille is so outdated and quite formal. Besides, we're family not complete strangers." She smiled and placed her hands on her hips.

"With all due respect, we are strangers but it is nice to meet our sister." Stefan couldn't help but crack the slightest smile.

"Our big sister, might I add." Damon interjected as he stared deeply at Luce. "It's very unsettling, you look exactly like our mother."

"I always saw myself looking like you Damon, but I guess we see different things." Luce clasped her hands and let out a deep breath. "You two must have so many questions for me."

"Why did it take you so long for you to say anything to us? I mean you shadowed us for decades." Stefan was curious, for all his life it had always been him and Damon, for Luce to now be added into the picture; it was like a whirlwind of emotion.

"I will answer that and any other question you have tonight, at dinner." Her eyes lit up, anticipating a yes.

"When and where?" Damon seemed to be just as eager as Luce but when he looked at Stefan, he couldn't see the same eagerness he had.

"The mansion in the woods, I expect to see you there at seven. Please dress respectfully, I've always thrown soirees, not fiascos."

"We'll see you then, won't we brother?" Damon looked at Stefan, a brow raised and a stern look on his face.

"Yes, we'll both be there."

"Fantastic, I'll see the two of you then."

* * *

As soon as Luce got home, Elijah greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and a glass of white wine. "Did it go well?"

"They're coming for dinner so be ready for a round of questions and I assume with your history with my brothers, a lot of confusion." Luce took a sip of her wine and stepped into her living room as she pulled out her phone and texted the human she uses as her therapist.

"Are you ready to share your secrets with them?" Elijah stepped in behind her, watching her tinkering with her phone.

"More than ready." She looked over her shoulder at her husband and gave him a small smile. "Could you cook your amazing confit de canard and those little soufflés, I'll make dessert."

"Anything for you," he turned to go but stopped himself, raising his index finger at her, "but some advice, when they do show up, ease into the storytelling. A motherlode of information might send their brains into over drive."

She nodded and put her phone away. "I need to get changed out of," she looked down at her outfit and made a face, "this, then I'll meet you in the kitchen."

"It's a date."

* * *

Luce flicked through the hangers in her closet that kept the designer labels she had collected over the years tucked away. She held a knee length, dark blue dress under the light and answered her ringing phone. "Yes?"

"Do you need me to come over and continue your memoir?"

"Clarke, no I need you to do something else for me. Could you come over here at about six with a white shirt and a tie? I need a waiter for a little dinner party."

"Do I really have a choice?"

"I know that's a rhetorical question, just let yourself in and start setting up the table. And make the setting good, I want to wow my guests."

"No problem. Is there anything else?"

"That's it, be here at six on the button. Goodbye Clarke." She hung up the phone abruptly and threw her phone to the side of the room.

As she slipped out of her tight jeans and took the woolly jumper off her body, she caught a glimpse of the ugly scar that Klaus had left her with in her human years. Luce pressed her lips together and let out a deep breath and she ran her hand over the lumpy skin on her hip. She needed to focus on the night ahead of her, wallowing in the past and feeling sorry for herself was going to get her nowhere. Once she was dressed up with her hair slicked back and her make up done, she felt more like the powerful woman Elijah had taught her to be: noble, headstrong and confident. That was the Luce she needed to be.

* * *

Elijah glanced at her as she came into the kitchen, his black shirt sleeves rolled up perfectly. He was standing by the stove, preparing exactly what his wife had wanted and from the sound of her heels, she was standing right behind him. "How does it smell?"

"It smells good."

He noticed a slight crack in her voice and she wasn't as enthusiastic as usual. Elijah could tell straight away that something was wrong with her, she couldn't hide it from him.

"Lucille," he called lowly, but there was no answer. When he looked at her, she was staring down at her heeled pumps with a slight frown crossing her face, "you are beautiful." He touched her face with his thumb and made her look at him.

She couldn't help but smile at him, her whole body language changed slowly but surely. "I'm going to start making the sweet."

He nodded and watched the pain she carried on her shoulders melt away. Lucille would always have to live with the remnants of Klaus' love on her body, but Elijah knew she would never be able to accept it. He just had to help ease her pain.

* * *

Stefan made himself look as smart as possible for his sister while Damon just changed his shirt. She was going to have to love Damon the way he was; this Elena-less Damon was rebellious and lacking a purpose.

Damon stood in Stefan's room and watched the clock with a surprising sense of excitement brewing in his stomach. He wouldn't let it show, but he was happy to have something or someone to focus on again.

"What kind of name is Du Val?" Damon asked impatiently.

"I'm assuming that it's a French name, you know, because she was adopted by a French couple?"

"Can you really call them her parents?"

"Lily gave her away and our father didn't care so yes, they were her parents." Stefan glanced at Damon, crossing his arms over his chest. "Luce asked for a shirt and tie."

"I'll throw a waist coat over this, she'll be cool with that."

Stefan nodded and rolled his eyes a little. "I hope so, unlike you she seems to have a bit of class or she wants to portray that she does." He looked at himself in the mirror and fixed his hair with a bit of gel. "Are you ready?"

"I was born ready."

"Then let's go get to know our sister."

* * *

As Luce waited nervously, she checked on Clarke's work, moving forks back and forth, tilting her head to make sure that the table looked good from every angle. She was a perfectionist and it showed. Clarke watched her from the doorway, she was so engrossed that she couldn't hear him come in. He raised his brow then shook his head, deciding it was best for him to keep his mouth shut about her behaviour. When the doorbell rang, Luce almost jumped out of her skin and turned around, looking at Clarke in shock. She placed her hand on her chest and gave him a soft smirk and she stepped past him. "It's show time. Let Elijah know that our guests are here."

As she opened the door, she grinned up at her brothers as she waved them inside. She took their jackets from them and hung them on a coat rack.

"We remembered you were a wine person." Damon said as he pointed to the bottle of wine in Stefan's hand.

"Oh, from the bar?" she took the bottle from Stefan and looked at the label, hiding her grimace as she realised it was a cheap bottle. "Thank you so much." She led them into the dining room and poured out four glasses, handing them each one and leaving a full one for Elijah.

"You have a really nice home." Damon said as he admired the room. "So, what do we call you, Luce De Val or Luce Salvatore?"

"Call her Luce Mikaelson," Elijah said as he walked into the room, grabbing the spare glass of wine from the table. He put an arm around Luce's waist and smirked to himself as he looked at the Salvatore brother's surprised expressions.

"Damon, Stefan… I believe you know my husband, Elijah." She sounded proud as she watched her brothers try to pick up their jaws.

"Well at least you picked the sane Mikaelson." Damon commented into his glass.

"Yes, well how about we take our seats, dinner should be served any moment now." Luce said loud enough for Clarke to hear; she could hear him sneaking a few gulps of wine in the kitchen.

* * *

Elijah sat at one end of the table and Luce sat at the other, leaving Damon and Stefan to sit across from each other, staring between the couple as they waited for the human man to come in with their dinner. When Clarke left the room, the brothers sat in awkward silence while Luce watched them cautiously, her wine glass pressed to her lip. Stefan glanced at the calm and collected Elijah and cleared his throat.

"Dinner is lovely. What are these?" Stefan pointed to the side dish to his dinner.

"Cheese soufflés, they're somewhat of a specialty of mine." Elijah replied, glancing up at Luce as she internally had a panic attack. "It was Lucille who taught me how to make them."

Damon and Stefan's eyes were immediately drawn to their sister who now looked like a deer caught in headlights. She took a sip of her wine and set the glass down. "I introduced him to French cuisine when I first encountered the Mikaelsons."

"How did the two of you meet?" Damon asked, his mouth filled to the brim with his idea of cheesy heaven.

"If you want the full answer, it's a long story." She said nervously as she clutched onto the table cloth.

"We've got plenty of time, and you did promise us answers." Stefan reminded.

"That's true… Well, it all started in 1855…"

* * *

 _August 3_ _rd_ _, 1855_

As a struggling female artist in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the eighteen-year-old Lucille De Val tried to sell her paintings and pottery to anyone who would show any sign of interest in her. She was desperate to make her own money so that she could raise the baby that she could feel growing inside of her. She wasn't showing yet and her parents didn't know about her condition, but there was only so long that she would be able to hide it. The father of her child didn't love her, she was just a play thing to him; he didn't care that she was pregnant, she couldn't prove that it was his.

When she finally plucked up the courage to tell her mother and father, they were outraged and disgusted with her. For an unmarried woman to be pregnant, it would bring shame onto their family name.

"Lucille, we raised you to be a young lady, not a common whore." Her father shouted while her mother wept on his shoulder. "You were ready to marry a well-off man and a prominent member of society and now that's not possible."

"I'm sorry Papa, I know I've let you down." She couldn't look him in the eye, she just stared down at the floor. "But I've been making a little bit of money and I will look after this child myself."

Her father shook his head in disgust. "No, I wish for you to leave this house and go back to your birth name. You will not drag my name, a name that is respected in this city, into the mud. Maybe the family that didn't want you might accept your condition."

"But Papa, you are my family…"

"Enough of this, from now on you are not associated with us. You are a Salvatore by birth right and you were a De Val by choice, our choice."

"Maman?" she whispered desperately through tears, but her mother didn't even raise her head. Lucille dried her eyes with the back of her hand and took in a deep breath. "You may take your name back but New Orleans is my home and I intend to stay." She turned her back on the people who raised her and kept her head held high. She left for the streets of New Orleans, leaving the luxurious home she had loved so much. She was alone in this world now and she didn't know what to do.

* * *

For the remaining eight months of her pregnancy, Lucille continued to sell artwork and beg but as she started to show her pregnancy, people started to avoid her. The night she went into labour was the night her fate was sealed.

The Mikaelson brothers were well known within the city and feared amongst the supernatural community. They had made a deal with the mayor to let them feed on any human they wanted and in return they would fund city builds. Everyone turned a blind eye to their lifestyle. During one of their midnight hunts, they heard the agonising screams of the teenage Lucille in one of the alleyways.

"What do you think is going on?" Elijah sounded curious but he was mainly concerned.

"Who cares brother? I am famished."

"Can't we at least investigate, just to ease my curiosity?" Elijah didn't wait for Klaus' answer and just walked down the alleyway, knowing the Klaus would follow behind him. When he realised that the teenager was in labour, he sped over to her and knelt beside her, looking up at Klaus. "We have to help her."

Klaus pulled Elijah back onto his feet and glared at him. "No, we do not." Klaus crossed his arms and glanced down at Lucille. "She's just a pregnant tramp."

"Niklaus, you have always spoken about family being a priority, well here is a family about to blossom." He scooped up Lucille carefully and compelled her to stay calm. "You and your baby will be safe with us." When Elijah looked at Klaus, he raised his brow. "Are you in agreement with me Klaus?"

"Fine, she can stay with us for a little while." He turned his back on them and led them out of the alleyway and back to their home.

When Lucille stared up at the man who saved her, she felt comfort and safety. It was the first time that anyone had showed kindness towards her since she was kicked out of her family. She gave birth to a baby boy whom she named Zachariah Salvatore. Seeing the opportunity for power, Klaus acted as a father figure for part of the time, but Elijah helped the young Lucille most of all. It wasn't what Lucille had wanted, but she knew that if her and little Zachariah were going to survive, she would have to trust these two strangers.

* * *

 **A:N Hope you enjoyed this chapter, there is much more of Luce's past to come. Leave a review if you want to read more!**


	4. Chapter Four

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Four**

* * *

Damon's eyes were fixated on his sister as she relived one of her darkest moments in front of the Salvatore brother's gawking stares. He felt an emotion that he hadn't felt in a while; guilt. It plagued him down to his core and he was sure that Stefan felt the same because Stefan's gaze fell from her face, to the empty plate on the table. The brothers didn't have an amazing life but compared to hers, it was a lot better.

When Stefan could manage to look at her again, he noticed the way that Luce and Elijah looked at each other; he recognised that look. It was the same way Damon looked at Elena. No matter what the Original family had done to them in the past, he knew if he was going to have a relationship his sister, he would have to co-exist with the Mikaelsons.

* * *

"I assume that after you were saved and had your child, you started looking for us?" Stefan quizzed cautiously.

"Not right away. I was a new mother and I had two men fighting for my affections," she smiled at Elijah, "although at the time, I was more focused on Klaus."

"Why Klaus? From what I remember, he's intolerable." Damon remarked and then glanced at Elijah. "No offence."

"He promised me an immortal life whenever I was ready for it. We bonded over art and music, besides the two of us were outcasts in our family; me more so than him. It hurt to be rejected from two families. But now I realise how foolish I was to fall for Klaus."

Damon watched the human waiter clear the table and serve the main course as he sipped at the cheap wine they had brought. "When did you accept his proposition?"

"In 1858 when I was twenty-one."

"Why make that decision? If I were in your shoes, I would've chose to grow old with my child by my side." Stefan said bluntly as he watched Luce fidget in her seat. He could see how uncomfortable the question made her.

"It wasn't my own choice." She sighed and placed her head in her hand, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart. "My relationship with Klaus became rocky and I was depressed and stir-crazy. My only support," she placed her hand on Elijah's and gave him a soft smile, "left me so that he could find Katherine Pierce. I found out about the two of you when Elijah found Katherine in Mystic Falls."

"So how did it happen? Your transformation, I mean." Stefan's mind was full of questions as his curiosity towards Luce grew drastically.

"You don't need to tell them, if you're not ready to then don't." Elijah whispered to her, his eyes showed how much he cared for her.

"I brought them here to give them the answers they were looking for, I'm not going to keep any secrets from them." She replied strongly.

"If it's a sore subject, then Stefan can wait for his answer until you're feeling better about it. Right, Stefan?" Damon suggested as he looked at Stefan with a stern face. He didn't want his brother to mess up a family reunion.

"I will answer." Luce sat up straight and placed her knife and fork down, flat on the table. "It wasn't one of my finer moments in life. I was unaware that Klaus had been spiking my drinks with his blood just in case I tried to do anything that would cause me harm. He was right to do so because I became hysterical and reckless…"

* * *

 _21_ _st_ _October, 1858_

With her only comfort gone and little Zachariah unwell and crying, Lucille needed Klaus' support now more than she ever did. But he too wasn't there. Obsessed with finding the moonstone to break his curse, he was very rarely around. She penned a letter to Elijah, apologising for her blindness towards Klaus' behaviour and promised that she would leave him once and for all. The letter was sealed with wax so that only Elijah could sneak a peek into her darkest moment.

The maids put Zachariah to bed while Lucille stood alone and scared on the balcony of her prison. Memories of her lowest points cursed her mind and diseased her thoughts to the point where it was unbearable. She wanted to be free, she wanted to be able to soar like a bird.

As she stared at the concrete floor of Klaus' compound, she could see no other way out. With arms outstretched like wings, she leapt off the railings and landed hard on the ground. On impact with the cold concrete, her human life ended, the pool of blood streamed like a river from her head as any form of life left her. Eyes closed, pale skin and head trauma; Lucille, the former shell of herself, died.

When Klaus found her lifeless form, he felt mixed emotions; he was happy that she would spend an eternity under his control but in despair that she would choose death over a life with him. As her eyes slowly started to open, he comforted her and held her close; it was the first time he had shown her intimacy in a long time. He offered her the wrist of one of the maids and instructed her to drink. In fact, she did everything he said. She was sired to him and everything about her changed. She was a slave to her affections for Klaus.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The reconciled siblings didn't have any awkward silences anymore and it seemed as if Damon and Stefan were warming up to the idea of having Elijah as a brother-in-law, but perhaps that's just what Luce wanted to see.

Most of their questions towards Luce were about her relationship with the two Mikaelson brothers, but this wasn't what she wanted. She wanted them to talk about Zachariah and their line of descendants, she knew that they knew them. She grew increasingly tired of having to explain details of her life with Klaus, the life that she would rather forget. Luce excused herself from the table and went into her bathroom, locking the door behind her. When she looked at her reflection she sighed and approached the sink, gripping onto it for dear life. For one night, all she had to do was talk about Klaus and then she could carry on the rest of her life as if their relationship never happened. That's what she hoped would happen, but things for Luce never went according to her plan.

* * *

As soon as Luce left the room, Stefan turned to Elijah with a glare and tapped on the table repeatedly with a closed fist. Damon watched him from the corner of his eye and Elijah just sat there, as cool as always.

"Why didn't you tell me that Luce was our sister when I called you this morning, in fact, why didn't you mention her at all when our paths crossed?"

"You have to understand that it was Lucille's place to tell you her identity, not mine." Stefan was about to reply when Elijah put his hand up and continued, "She is also my wife, she knew you would call me and made it very clear that she was to tell you herself. As for mentioning her when we first met; I wasn't sure of her whereabouts. You must know that Lucille and I have been apart for decades, not from our own doing. I honestly didn't know if she was alive, why would I put the two of you through that?"

"My brother is just being broody, it comes with his hero hair." Damon joked as he shook his empty glass at the human waiter.

"Your sister needs you just as much as she needs me," he stood up and straightened out his shirt, "I looked after her, even when she wasn't mine to protect. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to check on Lucille, she's been gone for some time."

Elijah pushed in his chair harshly and ran his hand through his slicked back hair as he stormed out of the dining room, leaving the brothers alone to think about his words. They didn't know what to think or say, what could they say?

* * *

The handle of the bathroom door moved and it made Luce jump a little bit as she sat on the toilet with a towel on her lap, covered in wet, black smudges. She knew who was on the other side of the door and after a moment, he knocked lightly and pressed his head onto the door. "My love," he said lowly so that only she could hear, "you cannot host your dinner party from the bathroom."

She sighed, knowing that he was right as always and unlocked the door. The make-up she had took so long to perfect was ruined and it reminded Elijah that she was still the fragile Lucille from New Orleans under her harder, false exterior.

"I look a mess." She commented as she moved back towards the unforgiving mirror.

"You look beautiful." He pulled her over to him and gently, planting a kiss on her forehead before rubbing away the black make-up from under her eye. "Why have you been crying?"

"They would rather ask about Klaus than their own family. It's like they want to know what's brought me down instead of what raised me up." She played with the buttons on his shirt and shrugged a little. "Maybe I'm overwhelmed and possibly fearing judgement."

"You know yourself that the two of them have done unspeakable things, far worse than what you have ever done." He grabbed her hands and gave them a small squeeze. "Fix your face and get back in there. Show them the Lucille that is strong, unbreakable and noble; the Luce that you want to be."

* * *

With Elijah by her side, she returned to Damon and Stefan. They looked at her sympathetically when they noticed her teary eyes but she didn't want them to feel sorry for her. She couldn't change her past. She looked at Clarke and cleared her throat. "Bring out the dessert and a half decent bottle of wine. I've had enough of the cheap drabble my guests have brought."

Her husband escorted her to her seat with a smile and took his space beside her, resting his hand on the back of her chair. "That's my girl." He said lowly, for her ears only.

She leaned across the table, leaning on her elbows and tilted her head towards her brothers. "So, I suppose you're curious about my son, Zachariah."

"We met Zachariah at a funeral… He was part of the founder's council. When did our family move back to Mystic Falls?"

"When I knew that Giuseppe was dead and that you and Damon were gone. We visited the old boarding house and I told him that when he was old enough, that the house would be his. He was only twelve in 1864, so I organised his future for him by giving his birth certificate over to the mayor and compelling him to give him honours in the founder's council upon his return." She fell back into her chair and waited for Clarke to serve the dessert and the wine before saying, "But now I have a question for the two of you."

"Anything." Stefan replied.

"Which one of you killed Zach's wife and child in 1994 and then Zach a couple of years ago?" her face changed in the drop of a hat. She was furious, so furious that it worried Elijah.

* * *

Elijah looked at Damon and then to Stefan. "Lucille…" he said lowly.

"It's okay Elijah, let them answer. They delved into my dark history so let me dig into theirs. Who killed their own flesh and blood?"

"Luce, listen," Damon started but as soon as she looked at him with such distain, he stuttered, "I was, I was in a really bad place."

"My descendants were the only connection I had to the two of you."

"Stefan, now would be a good time to speak up." Damon was starting to fear what Luce would do. She was a bit stronger than the two of them and she had an Original by her side. Plus, the dangerous look in her eye didn't help matters.

"Zach's daughter is alive. I've been making sure that she's safe, I kept her birth a secret and found her a good family. Zach was compelled to forget about the whole ordeal."

"So where is she now?"

"Duke University."

Luce nodded a little as she calmed herself down. "What's her name?"

"Sarah Nelson."

"And why did Zach have to die, Damon?"

Damon gripped onto the table and closed his eyes tightly. "He got in my way, but as I said, I was in a bad place."

"You were in a bad place for most of your life, but I forgive you."

Damon looked at her through one eye and slowly let go of the table. "You forgive me?"

"Yes, Damon. You're my brother and I too know what it's like to be in a bad place. I'm not happy about Zach's death but I'm sure over time I will learn to live with it."

"How did you find out about Zach's death?" Stefan asked.

"I needed to hide from Klaus and I knew that Zach would give me shelter. But when I arrived, the two of you were living there and I knew straight away that Zach was dead. I was able to walk right in to the house."

"That's a little creepy." Damon commented.

Luce shrugged off his comment and took a spoonful of her dessert. "I was desperate, besides the two of you weren't at home. It was my perfect opportunity to learn a little more about you."

* * *

After dessert, Luce escorted her brothers out of the house with the promise that she would see them again soon. Elijah helped her to clear the table and allowed Clarke to go home. He rolled up his shirt sleeves and joined his wife in the kitchen to clean the dishes they had left behind. "Are you happy with the outcome of tonight?" he asked her, glancing at her blank expression.

"It could've gone better, but it's progress I suppose."

"I'm proud of you, Lucille. I know that you don't like speaking of your first few years with Klaus and I but you handled it really well."

"Being on the run for decades taught me that sometimes, situations don't work out the way you want them to and you just have to roll with it. I let my emotions get the better of me today, but this week has been a rollercoaster."

"I bet you weren't expecting me to find you as soon as you arrived in Mystic Falls."

"Do you want me to be honest with you?" she took her hands out of the sink and dried them off.

"Always."

"I didn't expect you to come looking for me, I thought that you would've moved on. I'm glad you found me but it was a shock."

He looked down at her and raised a brow. "Did you think I would just forget about you?"

"You've lived for over two thousand years, people come and go in your life. That's what I told myself when I thought about you." She placed her hand on his back for a second and stepped towards the doorway. "I'll finish them in the morning, let's just get to bed; tonight has drained me."

"Go on up, I'll join you soon."

Elijah watched his wife as she walked up the stairs and listened for the bedroom door to close. As he watched the water drain from the sink, he thought back to his brief and recent encounter with Katherine Pierce and then remembered how ruthless Lucille was to her own brother for a passing moment. He feared what she would do if she found out about his affair. He couldn't tell her, she would never have to know.

* * *

 **A:N Thank you for all your reviews and follows, it means a lot. Review if you wish to see more.**


	5. Chapter Five

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Five**

* * *

 _January 23_ _rd_ _, 1859_

Ever since Lucille transitioned she was happier; she was a better mother and a better lover to Klaus. It was very rarely that he left her alone and she was at his beck and call. While the maids tended to young Zachariah during the night, the couple feasted upon the locals and took care of each other's darkest fantasies. She wasn't the person she used to be, she wasn't depressed any longer and she never said no to Klaus; it made her life a lot easier and made his more interesting.

Elijah returned from his hunt for Katherine when he received Lucille's letter; he was so worried about her and he just hoped he wasn't too late to save her when he stepped into the safety of Klaus' home. But his worry turned to rage when he walked in and saw Lucille pinned against the wall with Klaus' hands all over her body. When her eyes met his, he could see that something was different about her and when he didn't hear her heart beat the way it used to, he knew what happened.

Klaus noticed Elijah's return when he followed Lucille's gaze and gave his brother a grin. "Look my love, Elijah has finally graced us with his presence." He picked up Lucille's robe and handed it to her, watching her cover herself up quickly. "I trust that you've returned with Katerina Petrova."

Elijah took his eyes off Lucille and looked his brother in the eye. "I found her in New Hampshire, but she escaped."

"What do you mean she escaped?" He said through gritted teeth. "How did she get away from you?"

* * *

For the last couple of months, Lucille hadn't saw this side of Klaus and frankly, she had forgotten he could be such a brute when he was angry. It terrified her.

Elijah could see how scared Lucille was and raised a hand towards his brother. "Calm down, brother. She had a whole town compelled and people watching for me. She out smarted us."

Klaus was silent for a moment before he knocked over a table and smashed a couple of glass art pieces Lucille had collected. She turned her back toward him and crept towards the stairs; her tears were clouding her vision but she knew he had threw something toward her which made her duck quickly.

"Don't move." He warned her as he stepped up to his brother. Lucille was like a living statue. "Where is Katherine now?"

"On a boat to England."

Klaus let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You stay here Elijah and look after Lucille while I'm gone. I'll just have to find her myself." He looked over at Lucille and approached her slowly. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he placed his hand on her back and dried her eyes with his thumb, "go up to your son."

Like Klaus' puppet, she did everything he said. As Elijah watched her walk across the landing, he knew that she was sired to Klaus and he had to help her break free from his control.

* * *

With her sleeping son in her arms, Lucille was at ease. She heard Klaus leaving and felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. She was relieved to be alone; she loved him but she didn't want to be his play thing. She was a slave to his affections and she knew it.

Elijah watched from the doorway with a small smile as he caught a rare moment between a mother and her son. When she finally caught him watching, she let out a quiet laugh and turned to him. "You startled me, Elijah."

"I apologise." He clasped his hands together and looked around Zachariah's room. "I wanted to wait for Klaus to leave before I spoke with you."

"Is something wrong?" Lucille placed Zachariah back into his crib and waved Elijah out of the room.

"I just have to know; did you mean what you said in your letter?"

"Which part?" she looked up at him and crossed her arms. She knew exactly which part he meant, but she feared what would happen to her if she admitted her feelings.

"You know which part, you wrote that you loved me and that you needed me."

She looked away from him and ran her hands along the tops of her arms as she squeezed her blue eyes shut. "Of course, I meant what I said in that letter."

"So, what happened in my absence because this is not the Lucille that I knew?"

"I was going mad, Elijah. Klaus must have given me some of his blood, slipped it into my tea or something…"

"Did he kill you?" he placed his hand on her shoulder which made her look at him. He didn't need her to answer because he could see the pain in her eyes.

"I leapt from the balcony, I couldn't live that life anymore. I wasn't happy." She placed her hand over her mouth and shook her head. "I know that it makes me a horrible mother, to leave my son behind but what else could I do? Without you here, I didn't have the support."

"I don't blame you for anything, Lucille. But you have some time now to make a few changes in Klaus' absence and I intend to help you."

"How can you help me when I can't even help myself?"

Elijah touched her soft cheek and watched as she pressed her lips together. "I want to show you what you should want in life, not what Niklaus tells you to want. Will you allow me?"

Lucille nodded and took in a deep, sharp breath. "I don't want to be Klaus' doll anymore."

* * *

 _Present Day_

Damon stared at the painting that hung above their fireplace, arms crossed and his mind full of questions. The painting of a strong mare had been in the house ever since Damon and his brother had returned to Mystic Falls and never did it seem so appealing to him. Stefan joined him and handed Damon a glass of bourbon and turned his attention towards the painting.

"I always thought this thing was a tacky, cheap painting that Zach put up to lessen the value of the house but now I think it's a masterpiece." Damon said into his glass.

"You know, Luce probably put this up herself hoping that it would help us put the pieces she left for us to find, together."

"Do you think her life would've been better if she was raised with us?"

Stefan shrugged and looked up at his brother. "Who knows? Honestly, I think she was destined to be raised in a luxurious home and have her son, maybe even to fall in love with Elijah."

"So, do I call him brother now too?"

Stefan leaned in towards Damon and whispered. "I'd give it a year."

Damon took a long sip of bourbon and scratched the top of his head. "I remembered something about Luce last night, well I think it was her… There was a woman who rescued a whole lot of vampires from the Augustine Society in 1957. She called out my name but before she got to me, someone stopped her. It's such a blur but I'm almost positive that it was her."

"It had to have been, she kept tabs on us."

"It's strange, how she was always around us but never told us who she was. The temptation to talk to us must've tortured her."

"When I came home last night, all I could think about was how different our lives could've been had we met her earlier. Zach and Gail would still be alive and Katherine wouldn't have had such a strong hold on us."

Damon smiled a little and finished his drink. "Not with a protective older sister on the scene."

"Do you think we should see her today?"

Damon shook his head and set his empty glass down. "Give her some time, after last night I think we all need a little bit of time to take a step back and breathe. We're going to have plenty of time to see her."

* * *

 _A week later..._

Luce's Thursday therapy sessions continued with a different topic. Usually she would only speak about present day events as if she was recording her diary, but this time, when Clarke set foot into her home, she had to let everything that was bothering her out and into the open. Maybe then, the guilt that she carried around with her would vanish.

"When Klaus left the home that we shared, I began to bloom into the young woman that society desired and that was all thanks to Elijah. I was fully aware that I was sired to Klaus, I loved him before my transition," she sat across from Clarke with a bottle of opened whiskey in her hands. She had to be intoxicated to get into this crevasse of her past.

"I loved him when I was human," she stressed that point as she took a swig from the bottle, "and when I became a vampire, I felt so thankful to feel better again. But once he left, I felt nothing for him. That night Elijah came home reminded me that Klaus wasn't the man I saw myself spending an eternity with."

"What about Elijah? How did you feel about him?" Clarke stopped typing for a moment and met Luce's watchful eye.

She smiled at him and played with the bottle. "I felt free when I was with him. He made me feel like I was worth a damn in this world; that's something that Klaus could never make me feel."

"Why do you think that Klaus couldn't make you feel like that?" Clarke tilted his head and leaned away from the typewriter, realising that he wasn't here to record her; he was here to listen to her get her feelings off her chest. He was her confidant.

"Because Klaus didn't love me, not truly. He loved having me but he wasn't in love with me the way that Elijah is. In my mind, Elijah has always been the sun and I'm the earth, without him I wouldn't exist. The best example of that is the first time he left to find Katherine; my life got unbearable without him and I died. I was a fool to love Klaus more than him."

Luce placed her head in her hand and let out a sigh. Clarke reached over to her and placed his hand on her lap. "Do you want to continue?"

"I need to get this off my chest," she looked up at Clarke and moved her hand away from her face, "I can't be in this marriage fully without talking all this through and I can't talk about it to him because he doesn't understand me like you do."

He took his hand off the vampire and moved back into his seat. "Then talk about it."

"I loved Elijah longer than I care to admit. I loved both brothers at the same time and I made the wrong choice because I was an idiotic teenager who just wanted love. The day I knew for sure that Elijah returned my love was the day that everything changed for me."

"How so, Luce?"

"Because I was free from Klaus' bond. I had his blood, but he no longer had my heart."

* * *

 _April 2_ _nd_ _, 1959_

"One… two… three." Elijah repeated as he concentrated on Lucille's footwork. She was so close to him, her body pressed against his and he knew that the more his feelings grew toward her, the harder it would be for the two of them when Klaus would return. He tried to keep his feelings hidden from her, but he would catch himself thinking of a future with her. Especially when they were close like this.

"How am I doing?" she looked up at him with a smile.

"You're doing exquisitely, I knew you would learn this quickly." They stopped dancing but Elijah didn't want to let go of her yet. As he stared down at her, he caught the scent of lavender and felt his heart race. He cleared his throat and let go of her abruptly. "We're done for the day."

She felt disappointed and he could tell by her expression. "That's fine; Klaus will be home soon." She played with her hands and glanced away from him.

"Tomorrow." He replied, placing his hands on his hips. "We could take Zachariah out for a stroll if you'd like?"

"That would be lovely, I'll go get him and put his coat on." She gave him one last smile before she stepped out of the room.

* * *

Elijah couldn't help but feel relieved to be away from her for a moment. All of a sudden, he felt like he was having to stop himself from kissing her or fulfilling his utmost desires. Elijah wasn't stupid, he knew that while she was sired to Klaus, he couldn't have her and that crushed him. For many months, he had hoped he would break the bond, but he wouldn't try to until she asked him to help her.

"Klaus, you're home!" he heard her exclaim excitedly.

"For my love, a trinket from Westminster." He held a small, porcelain lady in the palm of his hand and watched her take it with a smirk. Elijah caught his attention as he emerged from Lucille's room.

"Welcome home Klaus, I trust England served you well."

"Not exactly." He looked at Lucille with slight admiration and nodded towards the stairs. "Leave us, tend to your son."

The brothers watched as Lucille did as she was commanded, but Elijah noticed that she was annoyed; she was starting to have her own free will and she knew that she didn't want to do what she was told anymore.

"Katherine escaped," Klaus groaned as he watched his brother pass Lucille, giving her a slight look, but he thought nothing of it, "she's very cunning."

"I did warn you, Nik." Elijah reminded, folding his arms across his chest.

Lucille stood on the balcony, listening to every word that the two Mikaelson's had to say. She was intrigued, Katherine was the only person that ever got away from Klaus, she had to know more about her. Elijah glanced up at her, catching her in the shadows; he was confused and interested. But more so than that, he was scared for her safety. If Klaus knew that she didn't have a sire bond anymore, he would be furious.

* * *

That night, as Lucille cuddled and comforted her boy, Klaus visited her room quietly. He stood over her and placed his hand on her shoulder affectionately. "Is the prince asleep?" he whispered into her ear.

She nodded and looked at him with her perfect blue eyes. "What are you doing in here?"

"I came to see you." He kissed the top of her head and said lowly into her ear. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." She lied; she was happy when he wasn't around. Now that he was back, she would have to sit around and wait for the next moment he explodes.

"Spend the night with me, Lucille. I don't want to spend another night away from you."

"Give me a minute to settle him and I'll go to your room soon."

He kissed her cheek, his stubble scratching against her face. "I'll be waiting for you, love."

Once he left the room, she tucked her son away into his slumber and walked out of her room, glancing down at the little flicker of light that came from Elijah's room. She longed to be spending the night with him but instead she had to prepare for a night with the man that she had fallen out of love with.

* * *

 **A:N Thank you for reading, leave a review if you want to see more. I've a lot planned for this story and I can't wait to show you all.**


	6. Chapter Six

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Six**

* * *

"Thank you for letting me get everything off my chest," Luce leaned on the front door, staring at the human that she had become so hooked on, "I really couldn't talk to anyone else about the guilt that I still have."

"I don't see why you should be guilty, you made the wrong choice at first, but you never betrayed Klaus. Unless you haven't mustered up the courage to tell me that part yet."

"I'll get to it, in time. I'm just working through a lot of emotions and memories right now. I thought things would've fell into place with Elijah and I but I guess thirty years on the run has really messed with my head."

Clarke took her hand to show his support, giving it a slight squeeze. "I'm here if you need me."

"I know, you have to be because I compelled you." She let go of his hand and bit her lip before nodding towards his run-down car parked in her drive. "Get home, I'm sure you have plenty of things to be doing instead of being here."

"It's nice that you think that. I hope you fix things with Elijah, I would hate to see you sad again."

Luce moved her hands along her arms until they found their place around her slender biceps. "Trust me, Clarke, in my life sadness is something you come to expect." She gave him a small smile and said, "but now that I'm starting to get things off my chest, I feel like I can commit fully to this marriage again. You've given me hope and I'm thankful for that."

"Like I said, I'm here if you need me." He stepped out of the house and as the door to Luce's palace closed, he glanced at the house, wishing for things to finally go right for Luce.

* * *

With Clarke gone and Elijah away looking for Klaus, all Luce could do to fill her time was drink that bottle of whiskey she started. She looked down at the small cell phone rested beside her on the arm of the chair and was surprised to find herself calling Damon. Alcohol always made her more confident, freer.

"Hello, sister." His voice was mischievous and she could see his smirk in her mind's eye.

"I have an opened bottle of whiskey here that's being wasted on me. Bring Stefan and let's make this another opportunity to get better acquainted, now that you know we're siblings."

"Whiskey's not really my thing but who am I to turn down my big sis? I'll go get Stefan and we'll come by in a bit."

"Let yourselves in, the door is open." She ended the call and threw her phone down by her side and took one last sip from her tall glass.

She got up unsteadily from the chair and ripped the heels from her feet. She kept a strong hold on the railings as she pulled herself up the stairs; she didn't realise how drunk she was going to get so quickly. It was surprising to herself. Perhaps her poor drinking habits were down to being in this town where she knew no one, or maybe she wasn't as happy as she thought she was when Elijah wasn't around. He was a good distraction.

* * *

As she walked through her bedroom, she heard the front door creak open. It had to be Damon and Stefan, she did tell them the door was open to them. She looked at herself in the mirror as she glided past but her vision was too blurry for her to see that there was somebody standing in the corner of her bedroom. Unaware of the potential threat in her home, she made her way back to the downstairs hallway, rubbing her hands together as she felt a cool breeze shift through the air. The front door was lying wide open which was very odd and put her on edge immediately. She tip toed over to the door, peering out into the pitch black before slamming it shut with very little force.

"Damon? Stefan?" she called out into the empty hallway. "Elijah, are you home so soon?"

When there was no answer, it made her panic. The cold shiver, the door wide open and the thrilling game of hide and seek gave her a big hint as to who was in her home.

"Klaus?"

"I'm hurt, Lucille," he was standing on the landing, his hands gripped onto the railing as he stared down at his former flame with a leer, "I thought I would've been higher up on your list. But behind my brother? I see things haven't changed so much in the short time we've been apart."

Luce sobered up quick and stared up at him, her arms folded tightly around her chest. "Why are you here? Elijah's out looking for you."

"I've already spoke to my brother," he moved slowly down the stairs and snarled, "I told him I was in Bucharest just so that I could get a little alone time with you."

"Alone time," she laughed sharply, "I know what you're here to do."

He raised a brow and murmured ominously, "and what would that be?"

"To kill me."

"Do you really think so low of me?" he edged closer and closer towards her slowly, clasping his hands with a sadistic smirk on his face. He knew that he was making her sweat and he loved it. "I just wanted to speak to you, in law to in law."

"Talk to me about what?"

"Your darling husband, of course. But I think you're going to need a seat for this one."

"I'll stand. Did you do something to him? Are people waiting for him in Bucharest with one of your daggers?"

"Well, your opinions of me haven't changed that much. With all the changes in my life, I'm glad that there is one constant still there."

"My hatred for you won't fade, Klaus," she moved slowly over to the little bar she always kept set up for herself and poured herself a glass of wine, "you kept me away from my husband for decades. I'll never forgive that."

"Pour yourself something stronger. I know that you can't talk about me without some whiskey, let alone be in the same room as me."

* * *

She froze in her place for a moment before glaring at him from over her shoulder. "How long have you been in this house?"

"Not long, I actually ran into your friend on his way out. He's a lovely little human. Very chatty." He smirked at her, watching her squirm brought him nothing but enjoyment.

"Did you hurt him?"

"Just compelled him a little bit."

She nodded and set down the half-filled glass of wine. "I suppose you wanted to know exactly why he was here." She gripped onto the whiskey bottle and opened it sharply. "To know exactly what I had told him about you."

He took a seat on her chaise lounge and spread his arms out, resting his hands on the back of the chair. "I was curious, I just had to know if you still thought about me."

She scoffed and poured herself another glass of whiskey. "I don't think about you, I wish for someone to finally kill you, but that's about it." She turned to him and held the glass to her lips. "Why are you here?"

"Believe it or not, I still care about you. Why else would I spend so long tormenting you?"

"The only reason you care is because I chose your brother over you. Before I saw what you were really like, you didn't give two damns about me."

"I loved you more than what you think I did. A part of me still does. It's that part of me that has brought me here, tonight."

She sipped at the whiskey and looked down at the floor, shaking her head to herself. There was no way in hell that she was going to believe a word that came out of that man's mouth, Klaus wasn't capable of love; he couldn't be, it wasn't really in his nature. Lust and control was what drove him to pursue a relationship with her. When she looked back up at him, watching him observe her, it filled her with rage. It was a sort of fury that only he could bring out in her.

"You loved the idea of having me, keeping me like your own personal puppet. It wasn't me that you loved."

"Don't try to insult me, Lucille. I still have my humanity, I'm capable of loving a person."

"Well, I'm sure you're not here to hash this out with me, so get to the real reason why you're here."

"I have information for you, something that I need to tell you about your husband and my _noble_ brother. It's something that you should know."

She automatically feared the worst, it was hard not to when Klaus' dark eyes were glaring right into her soul.

"Spit it out."

"I'm just going to assume that Elijah never told you about his relationship with Katherine Pierce; how much he loved her, how he had longed for her to be like Tatia."

"His relationship with Katherine was long before I was even born, Klaus." She shrugged and took another gulp of the bitter sweet liquid. "It doesn't bother me."

"Would it bother you if I told you that he rekindled that relationship with her while you were in hiding? It must've been a couple of years ago by now, maybe a little longer."

Luce could feel her eyes fill up as she shook her head. "I don't believe you. He would've told me."

"Ask your brothers if you don't believe me. I do believe it was both of them that loved her more than Elijah ever could." Klaus got onto his feet and placed his hands into his pockets smugly. "But when you finally come to your senses and realise that Elijah isn't completely committed to your marriage, you can come find me."

* * *

She set her glass down and stepped towards Klaus, her body vibrating with anger and frustration. "Get out of my house. Now!" she screamed, her veins were bulging out of her neck as her head shook furiously."

He moved to touch her face but she moved away from his hand. "I'll leave, but I know that you'll be begging me to come back soon enough."

She slapped him hard across the face, watching his head snap to his shoulder then recoil back to face her slowly. Automatically, she regretted it; Klaus was irrational and he could murder her right then and there. But he didn't. He saw the pain in her eyes and felt a slither of sympathy for his former flame.

"Don't you ever say that to me. I will never beg for you. You need to realise that I'm not your toy anymore. So, get out of my house."

"You'll know soon enough that I was right." He backed out of the room and when Luce stepped into the hallway to watch him leave, he was already gone; her front door open wide.

* * *

By the time the Salvatore brothers arrived at Luce's home, she was already drunk again, stumbling back and forth from her seat to her bar. She was so drunk that she didn't even hear them come in. When she turned to see the shock on their faces, she grabbed a full bottle of whiskey and shook it at them.

"Don't worry, I still have plenty for the two of you." She put on a bit of music and danced over to them transcendently. "I love this song." She mumbled to herself as she took a hand from each of them.

"Luce, are you okay?" The concern was evident in Stefan's voice as he allowed her to pull him over to her sofa. "You don't seem like yourself."

"What happened in the time it took us to get here? You sounded fine on the phone." Damon added, taking a seat beside Stefan. His eyes pierced the top of her head as she poured them each a glass of whiskey.

She stood up straight and placed her index finger over her lips. "Sweet boys, so concerned about your big sis." She sat across from them, pulling her legs up to her chest. She held her half empty glass up in the air and smiled at them crookedly. "A toast, to family rekindled. I really feel like I can open up to the two of you. I have known you for a very long time."

Damon took a sip of his whiskey with a raised brow as Stefan let the tiniest drop slip down the back of his throat. "To family." He repeated, glancing at Damon from the corner of his eye.

She played with the top of her glass, frowning into it as Klaus' words echoed in her ear. She didn't want to bring the two of them here to question them, but she needed to know if her husband had been faithful to her; Klaus seemed to think that they knew the answer.

"I know that the two of you didn't expect to see me like this when you arrived, but something did happen before you got here."

Damon leaned forward in his chair, playing with the glass in between his palms. "What happened?"

"Klaus showed up, he told Elijah that he was in Bucharest so that Elijah could bargain for my freedom. He told me something very… Painful. Something that the two of you can clarify for me."

"I'm sure that this is just a ploy from Klaus to hurt you." Stefan tried to calm her down, he could see that she had tears forming in the corners of her eyes and although he didn't feel that familial bond just yet, he didn't want to see her cry.

"A few years ago, did Elijah and Katherine Pierce have an intimate relationship together." She kept her head down low, waiting for the answer that she was wanting to hear. But the way Damon sighed, she knew in that moment that it was true.

"He loved her for centuries, just like Stefan and I did; that love doesn't just vanish. From what I know, they didn't part on good terms; he couldn't trust her." Damon knocked back the rest of his drink and placed the glass on the floor. "But from what I've seen, he loves you more than he could ever have loved her."

She looked at Damon, her lip quivering as she tried to stop herself from unhinging in front of them. "If he loved me as much as you say he does, he could've came looking for me. Instead he went back to her. We've been married for forty-three years, I spent forty of those years on the run. What a waste of time."

"Listen, Luce, whatever you want us to do to help you through this tough time, Damon and I will help you."

She turned to Stefan and gave him a fleeting smile. "That's sweet of you, I might need a haven if all does not go well when Elijah returns."

"Then if you ever need to, we will have a room ready for you." Damon interjected. "I kind of like the idea of us Salvatores under one roof."

Luce wiped a small tear from her cheek and grinned at her brothers. "I kind of like the sound of that too."

* * *

 **A:N Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Seven**

* * *

The sunlight was far too blinding as it glared through her living room window. She was so drunk last night that she couldn't even make it up to bed. She vaguely remembered Damon and Stefan trying to convince her to go upstairs but she refused. At least they put a blanket around her before they left. Her head felt like she had a hatchet hanging out of her skull and as she slowly tiptoed to the kitchen to get a bag of blood, all the embarrassing things she did in front of her brothers dripped into her mind like sticky treacle; it was too hard to get rid of.

She reached for her phone while sipping on the blood through a straw and called Damon. She wanted to know if his offer would still stand, if she did break things off with Elijah.

"Good morning sunshine, how's that head of yours?" he teased.

"Horrible, how bad was I last night?"

"Let's just say you were very close to a Britney Spears sized meltdown last night. But luckily for that head of hair of yours, Stefan and I were able to put you to sleep."

"Yes, thank you for that blanket wrapped around me."

"We didn't put a blanket around you. When you passed out on the sofa we went looking for one but couldn't find one."

Luce bit her bottom lip and glanced at the staircase. "I doubt that I got up in the middle of the night looking for linen. I think Elijah's home."

"I thought he was in Bucharest?"

"Unless Klaus told him the truth and he came home?"

"Maybe Klaus came back, hoping you were in a more pleasant mood with him?"

"Trust me, hell would freeze over before I felt anything less than hate towards that snake."

"Well, go find out which goldilocks is sleeping in your bed."

"If things don't go well, can I stay with you?" she got off her seat slowly and set her glass on the floor.

"I'll get a bed ready for you. Just let me know if you're coming."

"I will, thank you Damon." She hung up the phone and clenched her hand around it.

* * *

She stepped into her room and noticed that the bed was freshly made. As soon as she stepped in further she locked eyes on Elijah and he locked eyes on her. The look on his face was like he had saw a ghost, her expression wasn't any different. He stopped hanging up the shirts from his suitcase and turned his body fully towards her.

"Good morning, Lucille." His tone was low, sheepish.

"What's good about it?"

He shook his head and stepped towards her, stopping when she took a step back. "Please, let's talk about this."

"I assume Klaus told you that he paid me a visit."

"As I was about to board a plane. Of course, he called to gloat that he ruined our marriage. I told him it was hard to ruin something between two people who love each other deeply." He looked at her as if he was expecting her to agree with him, but she just stared back at him.

"He did a pretty good job at it." She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked down at the ground. "Why didn't you tell me about Katherine? Were you just hoping that it wouldn't come out?"

"I have wanted to tell you since the very first night I held you in my arms again. I have been tortured with the guilt in my heart, but I didn't want to ruin anything between us."

"Instead of looking for me, you fell for her all over again. While I was by myself, running from your brother, my husband was having an affair with the devil."

He got onto his knees and placed his hands on her lap. "Tell me what I can do to make this right."

"I don't know if there is anything you can do, I don't know Elijah… I just need time to heal."

"If that's what you need, then I'll pack my things."

"Don't bother. This whole house reminds me of you. Everything that I've become has been in your image; the fancy clothes, the jewellery, the dinner parties and the red wine. I'll pack my stuff and I'll stay with my brothers. Maybe when I get a piece of myself back, I'll forgive you."

"How am I to stay in the house that you built for us, without you?"

"How did you expect me to do it?" she got onto her feet and looked down at him. "When you wake up in the mornings and feel around for me before you realise that I'm not there, maybe when that realisation hits you, it'll teach you to never keep another secret from me again."

"Lucille, please don't do this. Stay one more night and if you feel like this in the morning then I'll accept that we're over. Just don't throw this marriage away." He tried to beg her with his eyes. She could see that he genuinely wanted to make things work.

"Firstly, you should've told me the minute you came back to me. I would've been willing to work this all out then. It would've been the correct way to do things; not having Klaus tell me that you were with Katherine instead of me." She got onto her feet, pushing his hands off her legs. "Secondly, don't call me Lucille ever again. As of now, the woman you made no longer exists." She took the rings that symbolised that she was Elijah's and put them into his hand. "I'm Luce Salvatore and as I said, I need space and time to think about what I want and if you want to get to know the real me, then that's your choice. You'll know where to find me."

Elijah glanced down at the rings in his hand and curled his fingers around them before getting on his feet to watch the woman that he loved and cared about so deeply walk out of their home. He was determined to do whatever it took to get her back. He wasn't going to walk away from her, even if it meant getting to know her all over again.

* * *

Luce walked into her brothers' home with nothing to her name. She left her old life behind in the clothes that were on her back. Damon and Stefan waited for her by the fire, staring at her with sympathetic eyes. Damon was the first to get onto his feet, welcoming her home with a tiny bit of whiskey. As she took the glass into her hand, he threw his arm around her, pulling her close to his side.

"So, do we call you Salvatore now?" Stefan asked from the fireplace. He leaned against it so stiffly. He could've done with that whiskey Damon was handing out.

She nodded and looked down at the empty space on her ring finger. "I want the two of you to get to know the real me. When we first met, and I was formal with every aspect; the house and the clothes… The dinner, that's not me." She downed the shot of whiskey and stepped away from Damon, looking between her two brothers. "Before Elijah and Klaus, I was an artist; my adoptive family drilled into me from a young age that I was to do something that would bring in plenty of money, so I took something that I loved and pushed myself until I was good enough to make money."

"We saw your painting," Damon interjected, "Zach used to hang it right over there." He pointed to a space on the wall where Luce's work used to hang.

"I want to get in touch with the woman I used to be then. Have a bit of fun and create something stunning."

"Well, don't have too much fun; that's how our family tree continued to grow in the first place."

Stefan smirked a bit and shook his head at Damon. "I don't think there's going to be any more kids in Luce's future."

"That's not what I meant at all. I'm going to take the two of you out tonight. One thing we all have in common is that we're fond of our liquor. So, we'll see which Salvatore can handle theirs the best." She smiled at the two of them and headed towards the stairs. "Which room is mine?"

* * *

Luce ditched the tight skirts and button up shirts and opted for something more casual for her first night out with her brothers. She stepped into the Mystic Grill, a completely different woman, Damon and Stefan tagging along behind her. "Three rounds of bourbon on the rocks, please." She leaned into the bartender and began to compel him. "On the house of course."

"Of course." He replied, stepping away from her.

She sat on the bar stool and watched her brothers put their hands into their pockets, almost at the same time. "Will you two lighten up? Why do you two look like you're the ones that just broke up with your husband?"

"We just don't want the bar staff to go on without a tip." Damon said coyly as he looked around the packed-out grill.

She reached into her pocket and lifted out a couple of notes, handing them to the bartender when he came back with their drinks. She took hers and pressed the cold glass against her lips. "Happy now?"

"How much did you give him?" Stefan asked as he leaned against the bar.

She shrugged and took a long gulp. "Enough." She wiped around her mouth and looked between her two brothers. "So, tell me what it was like having our mother back in your lives for a while?"

"Dramatic." Damon took a swig from his glass and nodded towards Stefan. "He fell for the loving mother ploy."

"I felt bad for her, okay? She was our mother whether we liked it or not and she ended up trying to help us in the end." He tried to defend himself but Luce and Damon just raised their brows at him.

"Do you feel bad for me?"

"We've just met, I didn't know you growing up… Neither of us did."

"Which is fair, but why does it feel like you've made your mind up about me already?" she swirled the contents of her glass as if it was the fine wine she was starting to miss.

He smirked to himself and shook his head, downing his bourbon quickly. "I haven't made up my mind, I just don't know what your intentions are with Damon and I."

"I've wanted to get to know you for years, but I've never had a good time in my life. I didn't want to drag the two of you into that."

"We could've helped you." Damon said as he took the bar stool beside her.

She crossed one leg over the other and shook her head. "I would've ended up pulling you into drama between Klaus and I, we were never completely stable. I went through him when I found out he was hanging out with you in Chicago." She looked at Stefan and smiled a little. "So, I had to keep a closer eye on you. Once in the 30's and once in the 50's. If I had of known that Elijah was going to come back to Mystic Falls and befriend the two of you, I never would've let myself be seen in a picture with you."

"You know about the picture?"

"I have one too, of course." She finished her drink and ordered another round. "I keep mementos of every time I met the two of you." She wagged her finger at Damon. "I lost my sight of you for a while when you were trapped with Augustine. I tried to get you out of there so many times, I even tried to convince Klaus to go," she shrugged and placed her hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry."

"It's so hard to wrap my head around everything." Damon said into his second glass.

"I keep memoirs, I'll let you two read them when they're finished."

"Did you not keep diaries?"

"No, diaries weren't really my thing. My life was too hectic to keep a diary. As soon as I went on the run I would compel people to write my memoirs for me. I got too used to the high-class lifestyle that Elijah introduced me into."

"Well, you'll have to snap out of that because we don't have waiters on standby."

"Neither do I, I just have ghost-writers."

* * *

 **A:N Hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Eight**

* * *

Their night couldn't have went any better, all the Salvatore were enjoying being in each other's company and the two brothers felt like they were starting to understand their older sister. They pitied her, both knew what it was like to lose their epic love, but the difference was, she had to let Elijah go and that was hard for her. Even Stefan was starting to treat her like a sibling, it made Damon happy to see; since he had met Luce he was hoping that they could be a family. Damon had warmed up to her quicker than any of them were expecting.

"Shall we call this a night and show you where you can stay?" Damon said as he finished his last drink.

"Definitely, I could do with an early night." Luce grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and grabbed Stefan's hand. He looked at her, his head tilted to one side. "Thank you for giving me a chance."

"You need us, you're our sister. Besides, I like the real you and not the Elijah version of you." He leaned in closer towards her and smiled. "She kind of scared me a little."

"It's time for Luce Salvatore to come into the light," Damon threw his arms around both his siblings and pulled them close, "it's nice to finally meet her."

Luce grinned and rested her head on his shoulder, glancing over at the door and that's when she saw Klaus entering the grill with Elijah. She turned her head quickly before either of them could make eye contact with her. "Let's get out of here."

Damon stayed behind here when he realised who had shown up and Stefan stuck closely by her side. Both Mikaelson brothers looked at her, Klaus with a smirk on his face and Elijah with a sense of desperation. He said her name, but she didn't even acknowledge it. When she got out of the grill Damon fell behind and looked both brothers in the eye.

"I realise that you two both have things to talk about, but did you really have to pick where Luce was going to be? Can't you give her space?"

"We had no idea she was going to be here, really." Elijah said lowly. "I know that she needs her space."

Damon looked to Klaus as he stared at him. "What about you? Are you going to leave her alone?"

Klaus nodded and glanced at his brother. "I will but I'm going to warn the both of you, if Luce comes near me, I'm not going to turn her away."

"I don't think she'll be going near any Mikaelson for a long time." Damon patted Klaus on the shoulder before leaving the grill. "It was great catching up." He called out as the door closed behind him.

* * *

Elijah took off his blazer and placed it over the back of his chair. He glanced at his brother as he watched every movement within the bar. He sat across from him and loosened his tie as he cleared his throat. Klaus looked at him with a smirk and leaned on the table.

"Whatever you have to say, Elijah, spit it out."

"What are your intentions with my wife?"

"She's not your wife anymore. She left you." Klaus waved a waiter over and ordered a couple of drinks. "I don't think vampire divorce is a real thing so when she handed you back the ring, it was basically a clean break."

"Do you enjoy tormenting me? What have I ever done to deserve this?"

"You stole her away from me. I loved her too, much more than I loved anyone. I know that I treated her badly, but I can't change the past. I was stressed and neurotic. Running from Mikael had me acting out of desperation."

"Did you know that she was sired to you after her transformation? Her love for you wasn't genuine."

"It was once, and it can be again."

Elijah watched Klaus as the waiter approached their table with their drinks in his hands. He grasped his drink quickly and took a long gulp before slamming it back onto the table.

"I will not fight you for her affections, this isn't a competition Niklaus, this is her life."

Klaus leaned against his chair and rolled his eyes. "I don't want a competition with you brother, I spent so long haunting her that I want her to be free. With freedom comes choice. She has two choices now and I want her to realise that before she goes running back to you."

"It'll be a long time before she comes back to me, you made sure of that."

"All is fair in love and war, brother." Klaus held his glass up as a 'cheers' to Elijah before taking a sip. He was confident in himself; he believed that he was the one that was going to win Luce's affection.

* * *

Luce stood at the doorway of her own room inside the Salvatore house. Acceptance from her brothers was all she ever wanted and now it felt like she was getting that. She stepped into the bedroom and placed her jacket over a chair as she looked at all the little decorations that were sprawled throughout the room. Stefan stepped towards the door and knocked as he poked her head around the wall. He caught her looking at an old picture of Zach and his wife and pursed his lips.

"You know, I only met him a couple of times when I was passing through. I think you and Damon knew him a lot better than I ever did."

"Well, that's because we weren't on the run." He entered the room, his hands clasped behind his back. "If you had an easier life, we probably would've been together a long time ago, all of us."

"It was my own fault that we weren't together, I just wish I had more time with him." She put the picture down and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm just glad that we can be a family for the first time in our lives."

"I'm sorry that I didn't warm up to you as quickly as Damon did, but I'm sure you understand my hesitation. Most people that re-enter our lives usually have ulterior motives."

"I was a stranger to you and Damon, I still am. I would've been naïve if I thought that you were going to accept me quickly."

"You're a Salvatore now, you'll always have a roof over your head and a family to turn to when you need it."

She smiled and nodded as she looked down at the floor. "I appreciate that."

Stefan took in a deep breath and started to back out of the room slowly. "I'll let you get ready for an early night. We can catch up in the morning."

"Stefan, can I ask you something before you go?"

He folded his arms across his chest and nodded. "Of course."

"Is Sarah happy with her life? Does she have a good family?"

"I made sure she went to a family that would be good to her, that were desperate for a child. She's a photographer, so she's got your appreciation for art in her blood."

Luce smiled and looked down at the floor. "I'm desperate to meet her, but I don't think that would be what's best for her. If I let myself get attached, then that means she's a weapon against me for Klaus to use. It's safer for her to never know me."

"It's the right thing to do, even though you don't want that."

She walked over to her dresser and pulled out something to wear to bed. "Thank you, brother, I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Luce."

* * *

There was a knock at the door early in the morning. Damon threw on a shirt as he walked towards the door and when he opened it, he saw a young man with messy brown hair wearing geeky looking glasses, stood in front of him. He had a large bag swinging from his shoulder and a nervous look on his face.

"Can I help you?" Damon said as he leaned against the door frame.

"Luce asked me to come around. Is she here?"

"I know who you are…. You're that human waiter that she had."

"And you're her brother, Damon. She's spoke a lot about you."

"All good things, I hope." He stepped aside and let the human into his home. "I'll let her know that you're here."

"No need, I'm up." She said as she walked down the stairs with a spring in her step. "Thank you for coming so early, Clarke. You brought the typewriter?"

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if you were wanting to continue your memoirs or not."

"Not today." She took the heavy bag from his shoulder and set it by the door. "I have a favour to ask you." She glanced at Damon and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you and Stefan going to the Founder's Day ball this evening?"

"How did you even know about that? You've been in town for all of what? A few weeks?"

"I like to know what's going on, okay? Besides, I've always had a thing for soirees." She smiled a little and looked at Clarke. "I'm getting you measured up for a suit."

"Why?"

"You're accompanying my brothers and I to the ball, you'll be my date." She ran her fingers through her long black hair and caught Damon smirking from the corner of her eye. "Since I've broke up with my husband, I have no one to go with and I have to go, after all I'm from a founding family."

"You can hang out with Stefan and I."

"You know people here, at some point I'll be left alone. If I'm left alone then that gives Elijah the perfect opportunity to plead his case to me. I don't want that hassle right now. So, what do you say, Clarke? Will you be my date to the party?"

"Of course, but you could've just asked me over the phone." He smiled at her a little as he caught the vulnerable side of her. He didn't have to be compelled to want to go with her; the more the that he spent in her company, the more he grew to like her all by himself.

"Then we shall go and get ourselves outfits." She grabbed her bag and looked over at Damon. "Do you and Stefan need suits? Send your measurements."

Damon held up his hand. "No need, we'll sort ourselves out."

She nodded and walked towards the door. "Suit yourselves, I'll meet you at the ball."

* * *

"So, why did you want me to go to this ball with you?" Clarke asked as he sat on a pink pouffe as Luce tried on dresses behind the fitting room curtain. "I'm sure you had plenty of choices."

"Not as many as you would expect. I'm lacking in the friend department lately, I have been on the run for most of my life."

"Why don't you try to work things out with Elijah? From all that I know about your past together, the both of you have a genuine relationship. You both love each other."

"My feelings and my ego are hurt. I don't want to be the kind of woman that lets her husband do whatever he wants and get away with it. I will not turn a blind eye to his transgressions."

"Will you ever forgive him?"

"Maybe one day. But enough talk about Elijah," Luce flung the curtain back and stepped out in a pale pink ball gown that hit the floor. The bodice was 'V' shaped and covered in crystals that dripped down onto the skirt. She was a vision of beauty in the dress, "how do I look?"

Clarke was almost speechless at the sight of her. He shook his head as he tried to find his words. "You look amazing, Luce. Truly."

She smiled down at the dress as she pulled up the skirt so that she could step over to the mirror. As she inspected herself she caught Clarke watching her in the reflection. "You can stop staring, I think this is the one." She twirled around and placed her hands on her hips. "I'll get you a matching tie."

"I don't think I'd look as good in crystals as you do." He joked as he placed his glasses on top of his head.

"I won't make you wear any crystal, just pale pink." She pulled a face at him as she shimmied back into the fitting room. "We still have to find you a suit."

"My suit won't matter so much, not when everyone's going to be staring at you."

"Of course, it will, you're going to be the envy of the Mikaelson brothers. Besides, I want to treat you; you're one of the only ones that's stuck by my side this past year. You followed me to Mystic Falls and I want to show you my appreciation."

"Well, only if you insist."

"Trust me, I've saw what you pick out for yourself on a day to day basis, I don't insist, I demand."

* * *

The Lockwood manor always hosted the finest balls, and this year was no exception. The manor had become somewhat of a historical site since Carol died and with Tyler gone, no one objected to opening the doors when the occasion arose. The town's people came decked out in their finest suits and dresses and the Original brothers were no exception. With a glass of champagne in their hands, they mingled with the humans of the town and tried to blend in as much as possible. They didn't want anymore trouble, each of them had the will to win Luce's affections and causing scenes and anarchy wasn't going to achieve that.

"Do you even think she'll show, Nik?" Elijah had an air of desperation around him. He wanted to be back with his wife, having her angry with him troubled him.

"You and I both know that Lucille always wanted to come to one of these Founder's Day functions. She could never resist a good party either." Klaus smirked into his champagne glass as he glanced around the room.

"You do remember what you told Damon last night, don't you? That you will abide by her wishes to stay away from her."

"I know Luce just as well as you do, when she's ready she will come to one of us and I don't think with that temper of hers that it'll be you." Klaus leaned in towards Elijah and whispered to him. "You made sure of that all by yourself."

Elijah was about to answer him when he had finally caught a sight of Luce. She was breath taking in the dress that complimented her skin tone perfectly. She entered with the human man that she was close with, her arm wrapped around his and her two brothers just behind them. Klaus watched her with a smirk as he kept his champagne flute pressed to his lips. She made his dead heart skip, but he didn't make it as obvious as his brother, he didn't want to come off as this lovesick idiot; it would make him look weak.

"Well, brother. It looks like this party has just begun."

* * *

 **A:N Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I know it's been a while since I've updated, but I'm hopefully going to be updating this a lot more often. Thank you for reading!**


	9. Chapter Nine

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Nine**

* * *

She could feel their eyes on her, but she refused to look at the Mikaelsons. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of knowing that she actually cared about them. She tightened her grip on Clarke's arm and turned to him with a small smile. He looked well in his suit, she couldn't help but notice and when his eyes met hers her smile grew bigger.

"Do you mind getting us some drinks?"

"Of course, I'll be back in a second." When she released her grip, he stepped away from the Salvatores. He took a glance over his shoulder at his date and felt like the luckiest man alive.

Stefan and Damon took their place by her side and tried to keep her distracted as Klaus sauntered past them with a devilish smirk.

"How did you meet Clarke? I'm pretty sure he's not from around here." Damon said as he blocked Klaus from her line of vision.

"It must've been five years ago when I met him… I always kept someone around to write my memoirs, but he's been my favourite companion."

* * *

 _Five Years Ago…_

Ithaca was always busy, it was home to Cornell University and people from far and wide came to study there. He was one of them, an English major aspiring to become a writer. He wrote for anything and everything, from newspapers to websites; nothing was off limits. The cyber café that he frequented often was almost like a second home and he enjoyed nothing more than seeing new faces come and go, but one face stood out and from what he could see, he was standing out too. A woman was watching him, an elusive smile on her face and her raven black hair over one shoulder. She gave him chills and he knew that he had to approach her.

He took the seat in front of her and found himself lost for words. She raised a brow at him and sipped at her coffee as she closed over her laptop.

"Can I help you?"

"I wanted to introduce myself because I caught you smiling at me."

"How do you know that I was smiling at you? I could've been smiling at anyone."

He laughed awkwardly as her piercing blue eyes continued to stay on him. "I'm sorry, I'll leave you be."

"No, stay I was only joking with you. I'm Lucille, and you are?"

"Clarke, I'm kind of a regular here."

"I've noticed, I've been here a few times before and you're always in the same place, typing furiously. I assume you go to school here?"

"Yeah, I'm studying English at Cornell."

She was impressed, and she made a noise as she crossed one leg over the other. "English, do you want to be a journalist?"

"I used to have an interest in that, but now I want to be a writer more so. Preferably non-fiction but we'll see."

"Non-fiction you say?" she leaned across the table. "When will you finish your studies?"

"I'm currently on my final year here."

"Hmph," she stared into his eyes and began to compel him, "you're going to finish your studies online and come with me. You're going to write my memoirs as detailed as you would write one of your own stories."

"Where are we going?"

"We'll stay here for now until you transfer your studies and then we'll go to Europe." She got onto her feet and held her hand out towards him. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Clarke. I'll be in contact with you soon."

* * *

 _Today…_

"So, you just plucked him out of his life?" Stefan asked as he watched Clarke move threw the crowd.

"I didn't pluck him out, he finished his degree and he saw the world with me. You can't pretend that you never compelled someone to do your bidding for you." She placed her hand on Stefan's shoulder and glanced at Damon. "When you're on the run, you get lonely."

"All they had was this fruity punch, I assume it's alcoholic." He said as he handed them each a glass.

"Are you not having any?" she asked as she took a sip from her glass.

"No, I was going to get a glass for myself and then this strange man approached me."

"Who was it? Point him out." Damon said as he watched the human scramble through his brain for any recollection of what happened.

"I can't remember what he looked like or what we talked about, isn't that strange?"

"You were compelled, Clarke. It's fine." She handed him her glass and gripped onto her skirt. "I'll get myself another one. Just you three talk amongst yourselves."

* * *

She scanned the room as she walked through the crowd, smiling at other guests as she slipped past them. When she got to the punch, Klaus was waiting for her. She rolled her eyes at him and got herself another glass.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"You compelled my date, you knew that it would anger me which would lead me to coming to scold you." She looked up at him and shook her head. "Can't you leave me alone?"

"Why would I want to do that? I don't know if anyone's told you, but you look exquisite in that dress."

She scoffed and went to walk away from him, but she found herself wanting to stay a little while longer. "Is this how you get your entertainment? Talking to girls that have no interest in you?"

"If you have no interest in me, you would've walked away but you didn't. You're forgetting that I know you well, a lot better than my brother ever did. How many years did you actually get to spend with him?"

"After what he did to me, too many." She sipped at the punch and glanced over at her brothers. Damon shook his head at her when he saw who she was standing with. "But then again, I spent too many years with you too." She raised her glass towards Klaus and stepped away from him. She glanced over her shoulder at him one last time and as she did, she bumped into Elijah, almost spilling her drink over him.

"Lucille," he gripped on her to help her regain her balance, "I'm glad I've ran into you."

"What do you want, Elijah?"

"To make amends. Please meet with me upstairs before the night is over. I wish to fix things between us."

She shook her head and moved around him. "I have nothing to say to you, Elijah. Please just do as I asked and give me the space that I need." She moved around him and made her way back to her brothers.

* * *

Klaus stepped over to Elijah and watched her link arms with her human date. "Did you strike out too?"

"Oh please, Nik, you were listening to the whole thing."

"I know, but I just wanted to hear you say it." He smirked as he took a sip of his drink. "Do you think she'll meet with you?"

"As much as I wish she would, she won't. She's angry with me."

"If I do you a favour, will you return it when I ask?" Klaus was planning something devious to win her back.

"Depends what this favour is."

"I'll distract her date and give her a reason to visit you."

"And what do you want in return?" Elijah raised a brow at his younger brother.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out."

* * *

Stefan watched his sister as she mingled with the party guests, she introduced herself as Luce Salvatore which made it very clear that she was done with her marriage, but that's only what Stefan assumed. He really had no idea what was going on through her head; at least with Damon he always had a fair idea about what she was thinking. Clarke approached him with a second glass of punch in his hand and joined Stefan in watching Luce.

"I don't know if you know this, but your sister is quite amazing."

"I'll take your word for it, you know her much more than I do." Stefan looked down at Clarke and gave him a friendly smile. "What can you tell me about her that I don't know?"

"That she loves both you and Damon very much. She always spoke fondly of the two of you, she'll probably kill me for telling you this but after we went shopping she told me that she was proud of how the two of you turned out."

Hearing those words made Stefan smile a little but he would've preferred to hear it from Luce. He looked back at her and noticed that people were starting to disperse from her and he knew that if she was alone, she would be tempted to approach one of the Mikaelsons. "Excuse me, I'm going to see if my sister would like to dance."

"Go ahead, I'll probably be at the punch bowl if she's looking for me." He took another sip and made a pleased noise. "This stuff is great."

* * *

He made his way to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, it made her jump a little, but she relaxed when she realised it was Stefan. He held his hand out towards her and when she took it, he led her to the dance floor.

"I thought you didn't dance. It was one of the things I was most sure about." She said as she rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I only dance on special occasions." He remarked.

"Lucky me. You know, I'm really glad that you and our brother accompanied me to this party. I always wanted to attend a Founder's party and now my wish is a reality."

"I've been to hundreds of these, the effect wears off."

"Probably for you and Damon, but I never got to grow up with my birth name, I never had the chance to attend any of these things. I plan on attending every single one until the thrill wears off." She rested her head on Stefan's shoulder and looked around the room. "Can I share something with you, just between the two of us?"

"Of course."

"I've always been worried about you more so than Damon. I had the feeling that you were going to be harder to win over even though family has been at the fore front of your efforts." She glanced up at him and sighed a little. "Damon loves the idea of family more so than you think, over the years I've been tempted to spill the beans to him, but I didn't want my selfish wants to put the two of you at risk."

"Part of me wishes you had have said something. It would've made things a lot easier. Between Damon going off the rails and the many times I've turned my humanity off, an older sister probably would've kept us in line."

She smiled a little and pulled away from him, looking up at his face with a glimmer of a tear in her eye. "I promise you this, you will never know a day where I am not with the two of you to help you when you're in need or to be the support that you crave." She held both of his hands in hers and looked him straight in the eye. "I know you don't trust me yet but trust this, I will never hurt either of you."

"It's going to take time, but I'll come around eventually."

She nodded and let go of his hands. "Now, if you don't mind, I think it's time that I spent some time with my date."

"He'll be at the punch bowl, I think he's got a bit of an addiction with it."

She smiled and shook her head. "It's alcohol, of course there's lure to it." She set off towards the serving table, expecting Clarke to be there, instead there was a note.

' _Want your date back? Meet with Elijah.'_

* * *

She crumpled the note in her hand angrily as she made her way towards the staircase. Elijah was waiting for her by the landing and he couldn't help but grin as she made her way towards him, even if she looked like she was ready to kill him. Luce kept her distance from him and leant against the railings, looking at him with seething anger.

"Make this quick, the only reason I'm here is because you're holding my date hostage so don't be getting any ideas of a reconciliation."

"I know, I was a little hesitant to take Niklaus up on his offer to distract Clarke while we spoke, but he assured me he won't be harmed."

"What do you want to speak to me about, Elijah?"

"I want you to know just how sorry I am, Klaus had told me that you were long gone, and Katherine seduced me into thinking that she actually cared for me. I shouldn't have trusted either of them, but that shows how big of a fool I am."

"Let me ask you something, was your love to me true?" she looked at him, staring straight into his soul.

"Our love was the truest love in the world. You have no idea how dark my mind got when Klaus lied and told me that you were gone."

"You use the word gone but not dead. Did he ever say that I was dead?"

Elijah shook his head and placed his hands into his pockets. "No but I should've picked up on that."

"I don't want your apology, Elijah, I just want the chance to move on with my life and decide what I actually want. I have to admit that I'm not as angry with you as I was when I first left you but I'm a long way off forgiving you."

"All I ask is that you think about things; our relationship, how much we used to mean to each other and how I'm undeniably head over heels in love with you." He took her hand and kissed the back of it delicately before letting go of her. "Thank you for speaking with me, I know you didn't really have a chance, but I assure you your date will return to the party unharmed."

She clasped her hands in front of her body and looked away from him. "Thank you, enjoy the rest of your night."

Elijah nodded sadly and descended the staircase. He hoped that what he had said to Luce would be enough to make her realise that he wasn't as bad as she thought he was. He just wanted her back.

* * *

She waited impatiently for Clarke to return and when he did, he was more inebriated that she could've ever imagined. She ran towards him and looked him over for any sign of harm, but as Elijah had promised, he was fine. Luce threw her arms around him, pulling him close; she had worried about him, he was with Klaus after all, he would probably enjoy torturing Clarke. When she let go of him, he pressed his lips against hers drunkenly. When he let go of her, he looked at her shocked expression and immediately felt embarrassed.

"I am so sorry, you were hugging me and I'm so drunk… I don't know why I thought that was a good idea."

"It's okay, Clarke." She placed her hand on her chest and chewed the inside of her cheek as she tried to decide what she was going to do in this situation. She placed her hands on her shoulders and began to compel him. "You're going to forget that you kissed me, even though I wish I didn't have to make you forget but you deserve a lot better than me. You're going to go home and drink plenty of water and in the morning, you're going to think you left the party because it was boring."

When she let go of him he shook his head a little and let out a sigh. "Do you mind if I head home? This party sucks."

She smiled a little and nodded. "Go ahead, I'll be leaving soon anyway." She watched him leave the Lockwood manor and placed her index finger on her bottom lip as the tingle of his kiss remained. Was she starting to fall for her human companion? She couldn't let herself, but it was too tempting.

* * *

 **A:N Thank you for taking this to even click on this. I'm wanting to explore the possibility of Luce having a human love so let me know if you want to see it happen or not! Thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter Ten

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Ten**

* * *

It was lovely being alone, usually the feeling of loneliness ate at her; but this time she was content in being in her own mind. She couldn't find Damon and Stefan, they must've thought she went home and with Clarke gone, she wouldn't have to worry about protecting him. Luce enjoyed the punch a little too much though, it took a lot to get her tipsy, but she found herself starting to sway as she walked. It was dangerous for her own sanity to be drunk and alone, but she was finally single and if she was going to make mistakes, now would be the time.

People started to clear out of the manor as the party started to wind down and as she looked around the room, she saw Klaus admiring a piece of artwork. He started to feel her stare on the side of his face and when he met her eyes, she didn't look away. He stepped towards her, his hands clasped behind his back and a devilish smirk on his face.

"I'm going to make an educated guess and say that Elijah's advances didn't work on you?"

"No, they didn't. Why did you help him get to me? Why take Clarke away?"

"You know me well enough to know that I don't do anything unless it's for my own personal gain." He shrugged a little and raised a brow. "I had a feeling that Elijah was going to strike out; he's coming on too strong. He doesn't understand that a young woman like yourself needs her space." He looked her up and down and closed the gap between them. "She needs her feathers ruffled before she can make a choice." He whispered in her ear. It sent a shiver down her spine.

"Because you know me so well?" she moved her head away from his and smirked at him.

"I know that you have needs, you need to heal, and you need to experience life. This Luce that I see in front of me, she's not completely the same; she's a fighter and she knows what she wants. So, Luce why don't you tell me what you want?"

She looked around the room and noticed that they were amongst a very scarce crowd. "Why don't we continue this party elsewhere? Just the two of us, no strings attached."

"No strings? I can do that." He held his hand out towards her and when she took it, he pulled her closer, placing a deep kiss on her lips. It had been a long time since he felt her kiss and for him, nothing had changed. His feelings for her didn't change and no matter how many years she spent with Elijah on her mind, the way she touched him didn't change.

"Let's get out of here." She said as she pulled away from him, taking her hand off his sternum.

* * *

"We need to find Clarke, he's the only one that would know where she is." Damon was trying hard not to show how much he worried for Luce but by the way he paced back and forth, Stefan could tell.

"Neither of the Mikaelsons would hurt her, if they took her we would've heard by now."

"How are you not worried? Do you know how strange this is for you to be the calm one?"

Stefan got onto his feet and placed his hands-on Damon's shoulders, holding him in place. "I do worry for her, but clearly not as much as you do. Damon, you need to realise that she has survived in their world a lot longer than we have. She knows what's she's doing and she's an adult. We can't hold her hand for the rest of her life."

"We've just found out that we have a sister and I intend on keeping her alive so that we can actually build a bond with her."

Stefan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Would it ease your mind if we called Clarke and asked him if she was with him?"

"Call him."

He rolled his eyes and went upstairs, taking her phone from her bedroom. He called Clarke and waited impatiently for him to pick up. When he did, he could hear the tiredness in his voice.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Clarke, it's Stefan. Please tell me that Luce is with you."

"Uh, no… I left the party early because it was so boring. I'm at home and as far as I'm aware, I'm alone."

"Do you have any idea where Luce went?"

"She told me she was going to head home but I guess she isn't there?"

"No, she's not, Damon and I are worried about her. Did she tell you what happened between her and Elijah?"

"Do you think he… Do you think he kidnapped her?"

"Anything's a possibility when it comes to the Mikaelsons."

Clarke sighed down the phone. "She didn't mention anything, but she seemed like she was in good spirits when she found me. This is completely out of character for her, but you must remember that she's going through a lot. She probably just needed to come up for air."

"You're right, sorry for wakening you. I'll let you know if she comes home."

"Keep me informed."

* * *

She watched him as he poured some whiskey into her glass and then into his own. Klaus took the space beside her, placing his arms around the back of the chair. They were silent for a moment as they sipped on their drinks; it had been so long since they were alone together that they didn't know how to act. The heat of the moment seemed to diminish.

"Before we do anything that you'll probably regret," Klaus said as he set his glass down, "why are you here?"

"I'm going to be honest, my head is all over the place. I don't know if it's the alcohol or what I've heard about you over the years but the part of me that loved you for most of my life wants to get to know the real you."

"What have you heard about me?"

She placed her hand over his and looked into his eyes, trying to find a shred of humanity in him. "That you actually have a heart under that wall you've built."

"You always knew that I had a heart, I loved you more than I've loved anyone." He gazed back at her, if he was wanting to win Luce back, he was going to have to be truthful with her. He had learned to let his walls down and now that he wasn't focused on his curse, he could focus on finding someone to spend eternity with. He hoped it would be Luce.

"You didn't make me feel like you loved me, at the start you did and then that all disappeared. My life with you was so difficult that it pushed me into Elijah's comfort and I fell for him." When Klaus looked away from her, she looked to the ceiling and shook her head. "But while I was in exile, I heard that you broke your curse and I heard that you actually started to show your softer side."

"How can you be sure that your source wasn't misinformed?"

"I can't be a hundred per cent sure, but I want you to show me that side I heard about. If you really want me back as much as you claim that you do, then show me."

* * *

He leaned into her, moving the glass from her hand to the floor and kissed her gently. He placed his hand on the nape of her neck and guided her closer to him. Luce was able to make his heart flutter and it had been a long time since anyone was able to do that. When he pulled away from her, he noticed how she was looking at him and it reminded him of the better days between them; when they were happy in each other's arms.

"I haven't stopped loving you, Lucille. You have no idea how much it hurt when you ran off with Elijah. It took a long time for me to forgive him and even longer for me to forgive you." He confessed with a whisper.

She rolled her eyes back to try to keep the tears from spilling down her face. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Klaus. My humanity craves the way you could make my heart race but the Lucille I became wants to forgive Elijah."

"I'm not asking you to make a choice right this moment, what I want is for you to keep an open mind, love." He placed his fingertips on her cheek and levelled her head with his. "Can you do that?"

"Only if you can."

He nodded at her and kissed her once more but only for a second. "I'd do anything for a second chance."

She took a deep breath and got onto her feet, holding her hand out to him. When he took her hand, she led him into his bedroom and closed the doors. She slipped out of her heels and stepped out of her dress. She exposed herself to him and watched the many emotions that crossed his expression. He was inches away from her in under a second, his arms around her and his mouth on hers. She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders before he took off the rest of his clothes. She broke away from him, looking him over with a thoughtful eye.

"Remember how gentle you were with me when I was human?" she ran her fingertips along his arm until her fingers were entwined with his.

"Of course."

"That's when I felt most loved by you, I want that again."

He put her arm behind her back, gently and pulled her against him. "I'm at your command." He murmured as he kissed along her neck. He was determined to prove himself to her, he was going to be at her beck and call.

* * *

She couldn't sleep, she didn't regret getting with Klaus, but by no means was she swayed to pick him. He was right in what he said, she needed time to heal and having a bit of pleasure wasn't going to hurt her. Luce couldn't help but feel a guilty as she wondered what Elijah was doing; he was probably alone and reeling after their conversation. She pushed all that guilt to the back of her mind; it was time that she looked after her own sanity instead of anyone else's. She rolled onto her side and watched Klaus as he slept. It was hard to see the bad side of him when he was like this. When she placed her head on him, he instinctively put his arm around her body and pulled her closer to his side; it made her smile.

Before she had realised it, the sun was up and as the light trickled into the room, she sat up slowly. She didn't remember falling asleep and she didn't feel Klaus get out of bed. She sat in his room, alone for a moment before getting out of the bed. Luce opened his wardrobe and put one of his jumpers over her small frame before facing the music.

He was standing in his kitchen, making something that smelled absolutely divine. She tiptoed over and sat at the island counter, watching him in his element. She bit her lip and pushed her hair out of her face.

"What are you making?"

"Eggs benedict and bacon. I thought you might want to stay for breakfast."

"You were right, I'm starving." She investigated the pan eagerly. "I hope you don't mind that I'm wearing this, but I wasn't putting that dress back on."

Klaus smirked to himself. "It's fine. Looks better on you anyway." He glanced at her and plated his dish, sliding one of them over to her. "I got clothes dropped over for you anyway, wouldn't want you doing to walk of shame."

"I'm not ashamed of what we did." She cut into the egg and started to tuck into the breakfast.

"I thought that you would've woke up in inner turmoil, you were tossing and turning all night, love."

"And you were sleeping like a baby, I didn't think you would've noticed. I don't sleep very well at night anymore."

He knew he wasn't going to like her answer, but he had to ask anyway. "Why not?"

"The night time became my time to think and plan where I was going to run to next. You know that running away from you isn't easy; especially when you can compel literally everyone." She shrugged a little and played with the food on her plate. "Running made my sleeping habits inconsistent."

"You don't have to run anymore, you haven't for a long time. Honestly, I was more interested in finding Katherine and a way to break my curse."

"It would've been nice to get the memo." She smiled at him slightly and pushed her plate away. "Do you mind if I take a shower before I go?"

"Go ahead, love."

* * *

His shower felt great, the hot water that pulsed out of the shower head was the finest money could buy. She stood directly under the water, enjoying the sensation of it falling onto her scalp. Luce didn't want to leave the comfort of the shower, she could've stayed there all day, but she was going to have to face the world at some point today. She wrapped a towel around her body when she stepped out and quickly dried her hair with another. When she stepped out of the bathroom she saw Klaus standing in one of the doorways and as she walked down the hallway, she saw Elijah sitting in the living room. She froze when he laid eyes on her and when he got onto his feet, she wanted the floor to open and eat her.

"Luce, I didn't know you were here." Elijah looked to his brother angrily, his fists clenched. "Why didn't you tell me that she was here?"

"It's none of your business, brother." Klaus looked over his shoulder at Luce and gave her a comforting smile. "Your clothes are in my room, love."

She nodded at him and looked back at Elijah. He looked disappointed and hurt. She didn't want him to find out like this, but Klaus was right, it was none of his business.

"You had me sitting here like a fool, divulging my sorrows while the cause of them was in your shower. That, brother, was a very low blow."

Luce listened to Elijah storm out of Klaus' house from his room and quickly put the clothes he had got her onto her wet body. She didn't want to stay here anymore; she had to get home before anyone else spotted her.

"Thank you for last night and thanks for breakfast but I need to go now." Luce called out as she quickly gathered her belongings.

Klaus stepped into his room and helped her pick up her things. "I understand, is it okay to see you again?"

She looked up at him and kissed him quickly. "No strings remember?"

He nodded and repeated, "No strings."

* * *

 **A:N Thank you for reading this chapter, hope you all enjoyed!**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Eleven**

* * *

The guilt of being caught with Klaus was eating at her but she knew that her brothers were probably worried about her; she had to go to Elijah first and diffuse the tension between them. She still cared for him and seeing how hurt he was didn't feel good in her soul. She called him a couple of times as she walked through the town, but he kept rejecting her calls. When she finally got a hold of him, he didn't seem to be pleased to hear from her.

"Why do you keep calling me, I thought you wanted me to give you a chance to move on? That's what it seemed like you were doing this morning." his voice sounded shaky and he spoke quietly. She knew that he was furious at her.

"I want to speak with you now, Elijah."

"I can't, I don't know what I might do if I see you."

She sighed and leaned against a building, her back pressed against it. "Please, I don't want things to be awkward between us."

"Things are already awkward between us and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon."

"We can try. Do you still wish to fix our relationship?"

There was a long pause on the other end, Elijah was obviously thinking about what he really wanted. "Yes, but I don't think now is the best time to fix us."

"I haven't made a decision about us but we're both going to be living in the same town and we're going to cross paths at some point. I just don't want the drama, I've had too much of it in my life; we both have."

"Fine, meet with me at our home."

"I'll see you soon."

* * *

The house was cold when she entered, and it became clear that once she had left him there alone, he moved somewhere else. She took her time alone to look at the pictures she left behind of her and Elijah, smiling as she reminisced about the good times they shared together. It seemed like yesterday when they fell for each other, but she knew that it was a long time ago. The feelings were still there, they were just being guarded by her anger. When he came into the house, she put the picture down and turned to him, noting how angry he looked.

"Do you understand how I feel now?" she walked further into the house, keeping her back to him.

"So, you slept with Klaus to do what? Get back at me?"

"No, I slept with Klaus because I wanted to and at that moment in time I wasn't really thinking about your feelings; but when I saw you at his home and how upset you were…"

"I know that what I did to you was wrong, but I thought you were dead, and I moved on."

"And I'm trying to move on with my life." She spun on her heel and stared at his face, her own sharing the same furious look as his. "We aren't together anymore, and I am free to do what I want." She sighed and placed her head into her hands. "I didn't come here to argue with you, I just wanted to apologise to you for what happened this morning. You shouldn't have found out about me and Klaus like that. I wanted to tell you myself."

He didn't know what to say to her, he was still so angry, but did he really have the right to be? She had made it clear that his recent relationship with Katherine broke up their marriage. He tried to let go of his feelings of resentment and stepped towards her, wrapping his arms around her.

"All is forgiven on my end, in future I will try to remember that we aren't together, and you can do what you wish with whom you wish."

She returned the hug, lingering for a little longer than she should've. "He made a point that I agree with and I think it was the same point that my brothers have been telling me; I need to live. My whole life I've been tied down to you or Klaus or my descendants and I need freedom." She pulled away from him, looking him in the eye. "You need your freedom too."

He looked down at his hands and shook his head. "I'm not going to risk pushing you away even further than what I already have."

She followed his gaze down to his hands and let out a shallow breath. "You're still wearing your wedding ring."

"I know that if you choose to come back to me that we can't pick up where we left off, but I live in that hope."

"I wish we could just fall back into our marriage, but I can't move past your betrayal, not yet anyway."

"Do you have any feelings towards me apart from the obvious?"

"I still love you and I always will, but I can't be in a relationship with someone I don't trust."

Elijah nodded and placed his hands into his pockets. "I understand and know this, the next time we meet it won't be as awkward as what it has been."

"I'm happy that we've moved past this," she stepped towards the front door and took one last look at him, "friends?"

He nodded, his lips puckering slightly. "Friends."

* * *

When she returned to the Salvatore home, she expected a flurry of questions directed at her, but instead she was met by silence. Luce stepped towards Damon and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"I'm home." She said quietly as she stepped around the chair he was sitting on, taking a seat of her own.

"Do you know how worried I was about you?"

"I probably should've called you or something, but I got a little… Caught up in something." She turned her head away from him and let out a sigh. "Can I ask you something?"

He could see that she was cut up about something and instead of lashing out at her and driving her away, Damon was going to have to be a supportive brother; he wasn't always the best at it, but he was going to try.

"Of course."

"Is it wrong to have feelings for both of the Mikaelson brothers?"

"With the history that the three of you have, feelings are going to be all over the show…"

"But is it wrong, I don't want to bring this up, but I feel like it will help me make my point," she closed her eyes, fearing that she was going to see the ugly side to Damon's personality, "when Katherine played with yours and Stefan's love, was it wrong?"

He let out a sigh and leaned further into his chair, resting his hand on his forehead as he searched for the right things to say to her; he had never had a sister before, but he knew that he couldn't be as blunt with her as he usually was with Stefan. This was a new and undiscovered territory for him; an emotional minefield.

"It was wrong, but she had made her mind up long before she informed any of us. I spent a century looking for her thinking that she loved me too, but I was led on. I have to ask, are you leading either of them on?"

"I want my marriage with Elijah to work out, I really do but I'm struggling to move past the affair. I also believe that Klaus isn't the same man that he was a century ago and is more like the man that I fell for. Spending the night with him has shown me that I do have love for him."

"That's where you were? With Klaus?" he tried to shake the judgemental look off his face and recollected his trail of thoughts. "If what you're telling me is true then I don't think you're anything like Katherine. You aren't using the two of them in some sort of cruel game, you're just genuinely torn."

"I wish I wasn't, this is cutting me on the inside." She got onto her feet and leant against the table by the open window, breathing in the fresh air as she tried to clear her mind. She felt Damon's hand on her shoulder and turned around quickly, trapping him in a tight hug. "I haven't felt this confused in a long time."

"You'll work this out and things will get better." Stefan said from the doorway, he couldn't help but eavesdrop a little bit on their conversation.

Luce looked up at Stefan from Damon's shoulder and waved him over, beckoning him to join in their embrace. When she had both of her younger brothers in her arms, she pursed her lips and looked at them in turn. "I have one last chapter to add to my memoirs and I want both of you to be present when I share my story with Clarke." She let them go and poured herself a deep glass of whiskey. "Once the chapter is finished, the memoirs are yours and if you wish, you can read them all in their entirety."

"Are you sure you're ready to let us into your past?" Stefan questioned with concern; he was worried that she was going to dive head first into something that she didn't want. She had kept a lot of her past a secret from the two of them and now she was going to be an open book.

"I have to move forward with all of my relationships and that includes my relationship with my brothers; I spent a few decades here and there recording all of this so that I could show you the two of you one day and now that day is finally here. You'll need the pieces of my past to understand me a little better."

* * *

Clarke could feel Damon's eyes on him as he set up his typewriter, it made him feel uneasy. When he looked up at him, he realised that he wasn't even looking at him, but through him. He was in a world of his own, possibly worried about all the entries he was going to read through. One thing that Clarke knew about Damon from Luce's chapters was that he felt a lot more guilt than he showed. Stefan was compassionate and revelled in showing that side of him whereas his brother kept it hidden.

"Are you ready?" Luce said as she walked into the room, a glass in one hand and a bottle of red wine in the other. She sat across from Clarke and gave a smile to her brothers as they sat behind the human.

"I'm ready when you are."

"Are the rest of my memoirs with you?"

He nodded towards his satchel and cracked his knuckles before readying himself at the typewriter. "Everything's set."

"Then I'll start at the beginning of the nineties, I had been on the run for a very long time and I was at the end of my rope…"

* * *

 _Manchester, England 1990_

The pub was packed to the brim with football fans as two rival teams played against each other for some championship that Lucille had no interest in. She found the quietest little corner and took a seat with her drink in her hand. She knew that Klaus was gaining on her, he had narrowly missed her when she was in Norway, but it would be hard for him to spot her in a place like this; it was the kind of place that she usually avoided. Lucille searched her bag for her plane ticket when someone took the seat in front of her. Her eyes roamed towards the leather cladded man and her eyebrows arched with hostility.

"This seat is taken." She said sternly.

"Of course, it is." He took a sip of the pint he was clinging to and smirked at her from the rim of his glass. "I never thought that I would see you in a place like this."

"Do I know you?"

"Not personally, but I've heard plenty about you." He extended his hand towards her and rested his other arm on the table. "I'm Kade and you are Lucille Mikaelson."

She stared at his hand and shook her head. "You're here to take me to Klaus, aren't you? I knew he was going to put a bounty on my head and attract the gutter rats like you."

"That's not really the smartest thing to say to the person that's going to help you stay hidden."

"Why would you help me? You don't know me."

"No, but I've heard about the poor little vampire that fell for the other brother and is going to lose her head if she doesn't disappear." He shrugged his shoulders and looked around the filthy pub. "I guess I took a bit of pity on you and when a buddy of mine told me that you landed here in Manchester, I knew that you were going to meet your maker here. That is, if I wasn't willing to help you."

"And how are you going to be able to help me?"

"Have you ever heard of this thing called a humanity switch?" when she stared blankly at him, he let out a laugh. "You've lived how long and never heard about turning your humanity off?"

"I assume that the Mikaelsons didn't want me without my humanity, how do I do it?"

"Well first, I'm going to take you out of this shithole before you do it. I actually like the humans here and I don't want to see them become your dinner." He got out of his seat and held his hand out towards her. When she took it, he pulled her onto her feet and let her through the swarm of cheering football fanatics.

* * *

The rain was pouring down on them as they walked through the streets and in the comfort of a dry alleyway, Kade explained all the reasons why he wanted to turn his humanity switch off and why he thought it would help her.

"I lost someone I loved for centuries, she was the only thing that kept me sane and I assume that you're not feeling completely sane; it must be hard looking over your shoulder all the time."

"You have no idea, I fear my own shadow."

"You must be exhausted from all of the overthinking."

"From that and the sleepless nights. If I turn away from my humanity, from all the things that keep me fighting like my husband and the hope of meeting my brothers, I'll be able to disappear?"

"No fear means you can do what you want and go where you want. But I suggest that with your new persona, you give yourself a new name, it'll be harder for them to stop the party."

She smiled a little and tried to come up with a new name and a new life. "When I was pregnant, I had all of these names picked out just in case I was having a girl; Maria was always my favourite."

"Welcome to the world Maria, are you ready to claim back your life?"

"Wait, aren't you going to give yourself a new name?"

"Do you really think I was born with a name like Kade? I've been planning this for a long time, been getting used to the new name; I've just needed a partner in crime." He held her hand for comfort and shot her a confident look. "On the count of three, we flick the switch. No going back." When she nodded in agreement, he began his count. "Three… Two… One."

She felt nothing, no fear, no love and no loyalties. She took her hand away from his and looked onto the street. All she could feel was hunger, it gnawed at her. She eyed up all of her potential victims and smiled at Kade.

"Fancy a bite?"


	12. Chapter Twelve

**The Pieces of the Past**

 **Summary:** With the anniversary of their mother's death quickly approaching, Damon and Stefan make a startling discovery about a new arrival to town that changes their lives as they know it. They always knew that they had a sibling shielded by mystery, but how entwined are the Salvatore brothers lives with their sister?

 **Chapter Twelve**

* * *

She took a sip of her red wine and looked at her two brothers as they listened to her story; both knew how dark it was to live without their humanity and neither thrived because of flicking that switch. What intrigued Stefan the most was what kind of a vampire she was without her humanity; was she controlled and calculated like Damon or would she be another ripper as he and Lily were? He watched how she tried to come to terms with whatever she was about to tell them next, she didn't enjoy telling this story and he could see that; she had to have a reason for bringing this up.

"I have to admit that there was nothing sexual between Kade and I; even with my humanity off I still had the sense of commitment as did Kade. He still had memories of his lost love, he had no interest in falling for another person and neither did I. With our humanity off we revelled in the bloodlust, the hunt was what it was all about. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't scared about walking around in the daylight. I felt free of my fear. But that all changed..."

* * *

 _Edinburgh, Scotland 1994_

He raised a brow at her, watching her as she scribbled something down in her journal. When she realised, he was in the room, she closed it over and crossed one leg over the other with a straight face.

"What are you doing?" he closed the door and inspected his face in the mirror, wiping a tiny bit of dried blood from the corner of his mouth.

"I was just writing something in my journal." She put on her heels and smoothed out the creases in her skirt. "I'm feeling peckish, don't wait up for me."

He grabbed her arm as she walked past him and stared into her eyes. "Is your humanity back on?"

"Why would you think that?" she pulled her arm free and grabbed her coat.

"Because I haven't seen you write in that journal the whole time we've been travelling together."

"You're not with me every second of every day... Why do you even care? Is yours back on?"

"Listen, I just want to have a good time, I'll cut you loose if you drag me down." He shrugged his shoulders and kicked off his shoes as he stepped towards his bed. "You do what you want, I'm not your guardian."

She rolled her eyes and placed her hands in her pockets. "I'll be back soon. Get your rest, we're heading to Cardiff in the morning." She stepped out of the flat and let out a breath before descending the fourteen flights of stairs that kept her from her real freedom.

* * *

Luce couldn't help but grin as she saw the back of him and when Elijah turned around, she ran into his arms allowing him to scoop her up into a kiss. She gazed up at his face, running her fingertips along the tiny bit of stubble that threatened to break onto his jaw.

"Hello Lucille, or should I call you Maria?" he said with a smirk.

"How did you know it was me?"

"I wasn't sure but there was talk all over Europe about two vampires leaving bodies left, right and centre," he took her hand and walked out of the building and took in the fresh air as they strolled down the busy city streets, "I hoped that it wasn't you but when I realised that it was, I knew your humanity was off."

"How did you know that you'd be able to get me to turn it back on?"

"I knew that the news that I carried about Zach would bring you back to your senses and if that failed, I knew that the bond that we have would've done the trick."

She smiled up at him, she was thankful that he knew her well; but there was one question that was burning away at her joy. "Does Klaus know that I'm here?"

"No, I told him that I was following a lead on Katherine Pierce. He thinks that you're somewhere in South America." He went quiet for a moment and stopped in his place. "I have something to ask you. Why don't I take you back to Mystic Falls so that you can be there for Zach when this child of his is born?"

"Is it going to be safe enough for me to be there? I don't want Klaus harming Zach or Gail."

"I guarantee you that they won't be harmed, and neither will you. You have my word." He reached into his pocket and presented her with two tickets back to Virginia. "Take my offer, we'll be there tomorrow afternoon."

She glanced back towards the building she had been staying in for the past couple of months and then looked back at her husband as he looked at her expectantly. "I just need to get my passport and then we'll leave this place." She stood on her tip toes and kissed him softly, glancing at his grey eyes before taking him back towards the building.

* * *

There was a cold chill in the air, but Luce naively put that down to the cold weather of Great Britain. She ignored that gut instinct telling her to run and stepped into the flat; all the colour in her face fading when she noticed that Kade was lying on the floor, his heart on the floor and blood covering the walls. Her eyes met Klaus' as he smirked at her from her bed; her journal in his hand. Elijah took a protective stance in front of her, holding her behind his back.

"Niklaus, what an unexpected surprise."

"Is it really unexpected, dear brother? I knew that you were misleading me, I just hoped that it wasn't true." He snapped her journal shut and got onto his feet. "I had an informant tell me that it was really Katherine that was in South America and then I thought, who would Elijah be seeing in Scotland and why would he be so secretive?" Klaus looked around Elijah's frame and locked eyes with his prey, a menacing glower covering his face. "Hello again, Lucille."

"You didn't have to kill him," she looked at Kade's lifeless body before turning away in disgust, "he did nothing wrong."

"He hid you but I must admit that I admired what he did; making you turn your humanity off and giving you an alias. The things you did were so out of character, you never were a clean killer and by the writing in your journal, I see that you like to keep track of who you've killed. I've saw that behaviour only once before."

"Why are you taunting this poor girl, hasn't she suffered enough?" Elijah interrupted.

"I think you know why." He looked his brother in the eye and removed a dagger from his jacket pocket.

"Of course, you brought that but I'm afraid I'm not going down easily." He glanced over his shoulder to Luce and mouthed 'run' before launching towards Klaus, knocking him out of the window.

She took the opportunity to get one last look at Elijah, exchanging a tearful look before sprinting out of the building. She didn't want to think about what was going on between the two brothers, but she wished for Elijah to prevail. If he didn't, then she was as good as dead.

* * *

 _Present Day_

"We only saw each other twice before rekindling our romance, unfortunately Elijah was daggered, that I heard through the grapevine. Klaus almost got me, and in a way, he almost got me yesterday... I felt myself feeling sorry for him. If Elijah hadn't have shown up at his apartment this morning, I probably would've gone back to Klaus a couple of times. He's still as vindictive as ever. I feel like such an idiot for letting him slither his way back into my life." She looked away from Clarke's stare as he stopped writing. He couldn't help but tear up for her.

"It's kind of all makes sense now. Elijah must've been freshly undaggered when we first encountered him." Damon said to Stefan lowly.

"It's funny how you fit all the puzzle pieces together. You're answering questions that we've been asking ourselves for years."

Luce nodded and finished her wine, downing half the glass in a second. "I'm just thankful that I kept his gaze away from the two of you for a while." She stepped over to Clarke and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Give my brothers the copies of my journals and the letters I have prepared for them. Did you bring the blank envelope with you?"

Clarke reached into his pocket and presented her with the sealed envelope and noticed how dull her eyes had become. He had spent enough time with her to know that her emotions were starting to get the better of her but before he could say anything to her about it, she was in front of her brothers.

"I want you to read my journals and then my letter. It'll make more sense that way." She glanced over at her empty bottle of wine and pursed her lips together. "I'm going to get another bottle." She stumbled out of the room, holding onto the wall for support.

* * *

Damon looked at the human as he packed up his belongings. "Is there going to be anything in those that is going to shock us?"

Clarke scoffed and looked at Damon over his thick frames. "All of it will shock you." He slung his bag over his shoulder and looked between both brothers. "Your sister isn't as strong as she lets on to be. I would watch her closely over the next couple of days. Luce needs to process her guilt."

"We will, thank you Clarke. I'll walk you to the door." Stefan said, giving his brother a look as he led him to the door.

Stefan's look was an instruction for Damon to check on their sister. When he stepped into the wine cellar, he could see her empty glass, but she was nowhere to be found. He ground his teeth together and stormed back towards the foyer. Stefan raised his brow at Damon and he could tell by the look on his face that she was gone. If they were going to take Clarke's words seriously, they had to find her and quickly.

* * *

There was a knock at his door and it surprised him, he wasn't expecting anyone to visit. When he opened the door, he saw Luce staring up at him, her eyes misty and her arm propped up against the doorframe.

"What are you doing here?" he moved aside and let her into his apartment.

"I needed to see if I still felt the same about you, to see if I still got the butterflies in my stomach when you touch me." She looked at him and bit her bottom lip nervously. She feared how she was feeling; her head was all over the place.

"Lucille, what are you suggesting?"

"I want one moment with you, Elijah. If all those feelings engulf me then I'm yours forever."

He nodded and took a step towards her. "And if they don't?"

"Then open this letter. I have no idea what I'm going to do, my thoughts have been all over the place lately." She looked up at him, and handed an envelope over to him. She was usually so clear with what she wanted, she didn't even know now what was going through her mind.

He placed his hand on her cheek, feeling how hot the blood underneath her skin was; he could tell that she was heavily intoxicated. Elijah kissed her the way he knew she wanted to be kissed; passionately and lovingly. He wanted nothing more than to have her back, but it wasn't going to be as easy as this.

She pulled herself away before she got swept up in that moment she craved. He furrowed his brows and took a step back, fearing the worst for their relationship.

"What is it?" he said quietly.

"When I kiss you, I see her… Katherine." She placed her hands over her face and paced around the room. "I want to get rid of that anger, so badly. I want things to be the way they used to be, but I can't push those feelings to the side."

"What are you so scared of? Do you seriously think that I would ever be so foolish as to betray you again?"

"I'm scared of you running back to her again, I know what she's like; I know that she always gets what she wants."

"Didn't your brothers tell you?"

She looked at him, shaking her head. "Tell me what?"

"Katherine's dead. She died a year or two ago."

* * *

Learning about Katherine's death brought a smile to Luce's face but that quickly faded when she realised, she couldn't get her frustrations out on a corpse. She dragged her fingers through her raven hair and looked Elijah dead in the eye.

"I can't do this anymore."

When he took a step towards her, she took a step back. "What are you talking about? What can't you do?"

"Humanity… Emotions… I can't catch a break. I'm finding trouble holding onto hope that I'll wake up and know what I want to do and the more that I'm let down with myself, the more it eats at me. The guilt that I feel in my gut about sleeping with Klaus is overruling any rationality I had left. The hurt that you caused me has broke my heart into pieces and the only thing that I have going for me are my brothers."

"Don't turn off your humanity, Lucille. Your brothers need you, we all need your bright light in our lives." He was trying to find the right words to say to her to convince her to keep her emotions, but he could see that her mind was already made up.

"Do me one thing, tell them I'm sorry."

When she closed her eyes, the Luce that the Salvatore brothers had started to know faded and when she opened them again, the Luce that they never wanted to meet came into play. Elijah stared at her, watching as she straightened her back and replaced her sullen look with a blank expression. He had no idea how he was going to get her back; he needed to get her back.


End file.
